Evergreen Love
by serendipitousloveaffair
Summary: Sakura's mission: To find her lover's killer. Syaoran's mission: To get married and make his kids happy. Fate's mission: To make these two fall in love. Reality's mission: To make things as hard as possible for these two. A love story set in the world of spies, murder, and mystery.
1. A Wedding Proposal

*** I am editing the piece due to various plot holes. Hopefully you will like the newly edited piece as well!***

A big hello to all the CCS lovers out there! I am here to present to you my first fanfic about Sakura and Syaoron, which was inspired by Dreams of Amber. I was just really disappointed that the author never updated so this is my tribute to her unfinished story.

_Evergreen Love_

All Cardcaptor Sakura characters, and everything else CCS is solely the property of Clamp- I OWN NOTHING. Trust me if I owned CCS, I would probably be making more episodes.

XOXO

Chapter 1: A Wedding Proposal

"He asked me to marry him" declared Sakura Kinomoto; a natural beauty with emerald studded eyes and cascading curls of auburn colored hair layered delicately on her shoulders; her rosy lips curved into a smile as she anticipated her best friend's appalled outburst.

"Shut up! He did not ask you to marry him. "

Tomoyo Daidouji, shook her head in denial. Her pin straight-raven hair rustled precariously with her every shake. With her amethyst eyes putting shame to all the starlit skies, she glared at Sakura.

"You better not be joking with me again. Last time you said you were pregnant with his baby"

Sakura stuck her tongue out, "That was April Fools Day Tomoyo. I didn't expect you to actually believe me."

Tomoyo threw her hand up in the air, "It wasn't hard to believe considering you threw up that day."

Sakura shuddered remembering the memory. "That rancid chicken. I vowed to never eat chicken after that."

Tomoyo impatiently snapped her fingers in front of Sakura's face, "Sakura, this is not remember why you became a vegetarian time. Now tell me the truth, did he really ask you?"

She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.

Rolling her eyes, Sakura took the snow-white glove off her right hand and flashed her hand in front of Tomoyo's face. Her hand was so close, Tomoyo could smell the sandalwood scented lotion on her skin, but that was not the important thing. Something far more precious lay situated on her ring-finger; a white-gold sapphire encrusted engagement ring which sparkled in spite of the dim lighting.

Tomoyo's eyes widened with shock. She blinked several times to make sure she wasn't imagining the quaint ring on her finger. After poking at, she finally realized it was the real deal.

"OH MY GOSH! Sakura, you're engaged!" Tomoyo squealed with the excitement of a fan-girl who had just met her idol, "EEEEEEEEE!".

Tomoyo grabbed Sakura's engagement hand and jumped up and down with it. Sakura tried to tug her arm away, but to no avail. Tomoyo's excitement knew no bounds: she continued to bounce gleefully with Sakura's hand like it was some sort of prize.

Various middle-aged ladies power-jogging around the large Penguin in Penguin Park slowed down to witness this strange event, and one even whispered, "That poor girl looks like she's gone mad with sorrow".

Sakura covered her face with her free hand and refused to make eye-contact with any of the spectators.

"I knew I should have texted her," Sakura mumbled.

Tomoyo stopped her weird dance and huffed at Sakura, "And miss the excitement of seeing the ring first-hand? Never."

Tomoyo snatched Sakura's hand and inspected the ring closely.

"Damn, Derek may be many things, but one thing is for sure, he ain't cheap."

Sakura abruptly pulled her hand away and frowned at Tomoyo.

Rubbing her rubicund tinged-skin, Sakura heaved a sigh, "Tomoyo, now my hand is all red. Touya is going to think Derek did something to me."

Tomoyo brushed the comment aside and poked Sakura. "So, how exactly did he propose?"

Sakura turned away and began to walk towards the swings. "I'm not telling you."

The bitter cold air rang with Tomoyo's pleas, " Sakura, I'm your best friend. We promised we would tell each other these things….SAKUUUUURRRRAAAA!"

Sitting on the swing, Sakura covered her ears, but the screeching was just too overbearing. Not to mention the little toddlers were staring at them now with their curious snot-covered faces.

"Fine. Fine!"

Tomoyo wiggled her eyebrows up and down in a little caterpillar jig and playfully bumped her swing against Sakura's swing.

Sakura swung her swing to the side and kicked Tomoyo with her grey snow boots.

In preparation for the bumper swing showdown, Sakura tilted the swing to the side, but Tomoyo raised her hand up in defeat.

"No more I promise."

Sakura cocked an eyebrow. Tomoyo never accepted defeat easily.

Tomoyo tugged Sakura's swing impatiently.

Sighing heavily, Sakura twisted the ring on her finger.

"Well, I told you yesterday that he wanted to meet me at the Green's Coffee shop this morning."

Tomoyo interjected, "Yeah, and you told me that you were scared he was going to break up with you."

After pausing for ten seconds, she added, "You know I knew there was something fishy about the whole situation. I mean which guy forgets his girlfriend's birthday?"

Sakura kicked the snow with her boots, "I know. I said a lot of nasty things to him that day."

A pregnant pause filled the air with an abnormal silence.

Tomoyo softly whispered, "Sakura?"

Clutching the ring tightly, she whispered, "And he was waiting with a hundred red roses and an orchestra playing a romantic violin piece. He got on one knee with a red rose between his teeth and proposed to me. I accepted and took the rose, which contained the ring."

In a flat voice, she added, "It was wonderful Tomoyo."

Tomoyo got off her swing and knelt to the ground in front of Sakura. Sensitively, brushed the soft curls aside to see Sakura's moistened eyes. Wordlessly, she took Sakura's hands and smiled reassuringly.

Swallowing back the colossal lump in her throat, Sakura refused to meet Tomoyo's glance and instead stared at the blue beauty on her finger contrasting against her pale skin.

"Tomoyo, this ring doesn't look right on my finger", she paused and took a deep breath, "it's too different."

Tomoyo bit her bit and held her retort. _Crazy girl! That ring looks gorgeous on you._

Tomoyo waited for Sakura to continue, but silence once again overtook the conversation.

Sakura twirled the ring on her finger and inched it closer and closer to the end of her finger. Just as it was about to reach the edge, Tomoyo stopped her.

"This isn't about the ring, is it?"

"Tomoyo I'm scared."

Tomoyo heaved a sigh of relief.

"Is that all it's about Sakura?"

Shaking her head exasperatingly, she raised her stiff legs to a standing position and brushed the minuscule dirt off of her pants. Placing her hands over her hips she cocked an eyebrow.

"I can't believe I kneeled on the dirt for ten minutes for _that_."

She airily continued, "everybody gets scared before their wedding Sakura. It's perfectly natural. A virgin will obviously feel rattled before her wedding thinking about her wedding night," she aired superiorly.

Sakura slapped her hand against her forehead and groaned, "Tomoyo I am not worried about _that_."

Tomoyo, unnerved, continued, "Well is it because you don't know what to do? I know a sex therapist."

Sakura narrowed her eyes, "everything is not about sex Tomoyo!" Can't you take me seriously for once?! I really am scared about this marriage because I don't know if Derek is the right one for me. "

Sakura looked disgusted with herself and buried her face in her hands, "There I said it."

Tomoyo mouthed a huge O in comprehension and tentatively knelt down to Sakura's level once more.

"But I don't understand. You guys have always been perfect together. You guys were even awarded couple of the year during prom _and_ during our senior college bash! You and Derek are the epitome of the ideal couple! He loves you and you love him. It's pretty simple, unless…"

Tomoyo paused and stared Sakura squarely in the eyes, "You don't love him."

Sakura groaned, "It's not that I don't love him Tomoyo…It's just that….I know he will keep me happy and I know he loves me so much…but…. I don't know if he is my…my…._soulmate._"

Tomoyo snorted, "You believe in that soulmate crap? Look Sakura, Derek is perfect for you. He will treat you like a queen. "

Sakura twiddled her fingers, "Tomoyo I don't feel any sparks when I kiss him."

"Sometimes it just takes time."

"And I've been having dreams of kissing a masked man under the full moon, surrounded by a lake full of swans and weeping willow trees. And I always get mystified by his eyes Tomoyo."

In a sickly sweet voice, she lightly breathed, "The most peculiar shade of amber. A color…which just…entranced…me."

Tomoyo rolled her eyes. "Oh brother, don't tell me you're worried because Derek's eyes are not amber but dark brown."

Sakura shook her head, "No Tomoyo. I feel as If I am cheating on him."

Tomoyo, feeling extremely annoyed with Sakura at this juncture, got up and began to shake Sakura's swing.

"Sakura! That man is not real okay? Imaginary men do not qualify in the cheating category."

She stopped shaking the swing and shut her eyes to think clearly. Sakura's swing still moved from Tomoyo's momentum.

"Look Sakura, I don't think you should lose sleep over this matter. That guy in your dream is not real. Derek is. That guy in your dream may have beautiful eyes, but Derek has a beautiful soul. In the end, Derek is the better end of the deal, Dontcha think?"

Tomoyo offered Sakura a hand, "There's no point in dwelling in daydreams Sakura."

Sakura nodded and suddenly smiled cheerfully. Taking Tomoyo's hand she got up from the swing and looked down at the ring.

"I guess different is good sometimes."

Tomoyo smiled, "Different is what makes life real."

In the next moment, Tomoyo erupted into a chorus of giggles.

Sakura smiled at Tomoyo's outburst and curiously asked, "What's so funny?"

With tears streaming down her face, Tomoyo choked out, "Your brother."

Sakura's smile abruptly turned into a frown. "Oh no. He doesn't like Derek"

Tomoyo giggled, "Sakura, your brother wouldn't approve of any guy, but I think he's going to have to make an exception. Don't worry, I'll persuade him."

Sakura groaned. This was going to be a long night.

When snowflakes began to envelop the park in a flurry of white, that signaled their cue to leave. Tomoyo rushed towards the car while Sakura walked slowly behind.

However, before she entered the car, she glanced towards the swings once more.

XOXOXO

The wedding day

Surprisingly the road to the wedding had been relatively smooth: Touya agreed after her father persuaded him (and with a bit of bribery from Tomoyo- Sakura still had no clue about what), and Tomoyo gladly obliged to fill the role of the wedding planner. And thus, wedding preparations had run at full speed the following month, filled with the usual stressful decision-making process involved. But the end result was to be fruitful and Sakura knew it.

But she just felt so nervous. Sitting in the red cushioned chair, surrounded by mirrors with Hollywood style dressing-room bulbs enlightening the room in a gold glow, Sakura felt butterflies were engaging in a bull fight in her abdomen.

Sakura was just absentmindedly picking at the lightly scattered pearls on her bodice, when Tomoyo came in with a video-camera in her hand, recording her.

"Aww, the bride looks mega hot today!".

Indeed she did. Sakura was wearing a creamy white wedding dress; it was strapless mermaid gown with and organza pearl-covered bodice and small intricate drawn pearl cherry blossoms on her skirt which accented her heavenly status. Her long auburn hair was done into an elaborate braid on one side with small pearls attached throughout her braid. A natural beauty needed no beauty product. ;)

"It's all because of you. You designed such a beautiful dress and you did my hair so nicely. Besides you don't look so bad yourself maid-of –honor".

Tomoyo wore a short midnight blue dress with a net sash around her waist. Her hair was put around in waves around her face making her look like a mermaid. Sakura winked at her and giggled.

"I hope you're not trying to woo the best man" joked Sakura.

"Pssht, as if. The chances of that happening are one in a gazillion. Kero has been pursuing me since our grade school years and he hasn't gotten any hotter. And no Sakura, you do not look beautiful because of my dress today. There's just something brides possess on their special day. And you possess that special something right now. Now enough of this small talk, we have a wedding plan to abide by."

Shifting into her serious business mode, Tomoyo twisted her lips, " Okay, you need something old, blue, and new right? ".

She took off her blue diamond bracelet and put it on Sakura's hand "This is something blue".

Tomoyo then began to rummage through her bag for something.

Sakura wet her rosy-colored lips to speak, "So what's that special thing they possess? The only thing I possess right now is a queasy feeling."

Tomoyo flared her nostrils, "Don't you dare throw up on your wedding dress Sakura. I don't have time to make a new one, half an hour before your wedding ceremony. And you silly goose, they possess happiness. You do too. But you're just showing it in a different way."

But even Tomoyo looked a little unsure of her last statement.

"And here is something new!"

She proceeded to take out a petite satin box covered with a little red bow.

Sakura inquisitively peered at the box while Tomoyo opened the lid to reveal a stunning white diamond cherry blossom necklace, which she lovingly fastened around Sakura's neck, "my mother brought this for you. She really wanted to give it to you herself, but she had urgent business to attend to."

" And no buts Sakura, she's your aunt too," Tomoyo patronized when Sakura opened her mouth to retort back, she continued after a brief pause, "But ….i don't have something old"

A new voice interjected,

"But I do"

The voice belonged to a tall man with salt-and-peppered hair, half-moon spectacles complementing his experienced demeanor, and an accented smile full of joy. Today, his grasshopper green eyes shone with tears as he walked towards his only daughter; knowing that she would belong to another in a few moments time. The thought brought a bittersweet stab to his heart; a pain that hurt as much as it healed. With each step, the memories flooded through: going in chronological order- the birth of his daughter, holding her for the first time, hearing her say "dada" for the first time….By the time he reached Sakura, the tears had flown down his face, and glistened on the edge.

Seeing his daughter in her bridal finery brought his wife, Nadishko's aspirations to mind; she had always wanted to see Sakura as a bride. But unfortunately life plays its games and destroys aspirations. However, dreams only die is there is no hope left for them, and today Sakura's father was here as a father and a mother.

Sitting down beside her, he clasped her hands and brought them to his lips; how difficult it was to comprehend such tiny hands could grow into such graceful ones!

"I remember the time you used to sit on my lap to hear me tell you stories, and how you were would never go to sleep without listening to one. You especially liked _Beauty and the beast_," he conveyed in a reminiscent voice.

Sakura grinned wistfully at the memory, "I remember I used to hate the beast because he looked scary,", she paused to wipe the tear out of her eye (Tomoyo would kill her if she went to the altar with red eyes), "how ignorant I was."

Sakura's father shook his head at the wonderful memory, "That's because you were so young….You probably won't have time to listen to them now. "

Sakura glared at her father. Or atleast she attempted to, but her good-natured face showed how difficult it was for her to express anger.

"I shall always have time to listen to your stories. Even if you tell me the same ones over and over, I will never grow tired of them."

He took her delicate face in his hands and kissed her forehead.

"I'm glad I still have my loyal trouper. But now it's time for my little baby to grow up now", he choked as he uttered the next words, "Derek will keep you very happy. My angel deserves only the best."

Sakura wiped the tears from her father's face and leaned in to hug him.

"You're my entire world daddy. I'm here because of you. I don't wanna leave you".

Enveloped in the bittersweet hug, they each wept silently for things that had passed and things that were to come. Through their woven memories, they grew and learned, passing through each phase of life with surprises at each corner. Sometimes life has too many surprises in store…

Sensing the auspicious hour ticking closer and closer, her father broke away from the hug and patted Sakura lovingly on her cheek.

"Your mother would be so proud of you. She would have done anything to be with you right now, but…"

He broke off and stared determinedly at the ceiling, " I have something old.."

He took the lid off the box and took out a pretty white veil scattered with tiny gemstones that made the veil look divine "this veil was your mother's on her wedding day, and I know she would want you to have it on yours…unfortunately she couldn't be here to give it to you in person"

Fujitaka Kinomoto bowed his head and Sakura got up to give a hug to her dad.

"Daddy, she's here with us always."

Touya Kinomoto then came in and filled the room with his obnoxious presence,

"So the monster is finally getting married. I'm surprised he hasn't run away from the altar yet."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "You'd love that Touya."

Touya grinned wickedly. "You know me so well".

Preparing herself for an impending showdown, Sakura braced herself and cleared her throat to begin the scream fest. However, Touya surprised her by suddenly grabbing her in a tight hug; a hug which reminded Sakura of the time Touya had comforted her after her mother's death; a hug of sadness.

Touya softly murmured, "I am going to miss my little monster"

Sakura, with a tight feeling beginning to form in her chest, lightly responded, "And I'm going to miss my maddening brother".

The smooth melody of a saxophone cut the interaction short. Touya and Sakura broke apart to look for the source of the noise and saw Tomoyo checking her iPhone.

"Sorry guys, but the we need to get to the wedding altar in five minutes. That was my five-minute-before-the-altar-alarm."

Tomoyo urgently shoved the phone inside her silver clutch and began to boss the guests of honor, "Touya, you go and tell the pianist to begin playing the wedding march. And Mr. Kinomoto, you just stand there while i place this veil on Sakura's head."

Mr. Kinomoto nodded his head and obediently went to wait outside the room. Meanwhile, Tomoyo was pinning the shimmery veil on Sakura. While she was fastening the diamond clips to hold the veil in place, she whispersed in Sakura's war, "Wait until you see the honeymoon destination, you're gonna have zoo much fun. If you know what i mean".

Tomoyo playfully winked and Sakura proceeded to hide her face in her hands.

"Oh Sakura your blush looks so kawaii!"

Touya, who apparently had never left the room, interposed, "Honeymoon! There is no need of a honeymoon! She is only 22!"

Fujitaka, hearing the commotion, rushed into the room and tried to calm Touya down, but Touya still seethed with anger and furiously stared at the wedding altar as if contemplating on how to strangle Derek.

When Sakura looked over at Tomoyo, she saw that Tomoyo was videotaping the whole drama.

Sakura shook her head. _Oh Tomoyo, what am i going to do with you?_

XOXO

Finally the time came for Sakura to go down to walk the aisle. With unsteady steps, she slowly wobbled towards her father and intertwined her hand around his outstretched elbow.

Feeling overwhelmed, Sakuka began to tremble slightly and felt her palms grow sweaty. Thank goodness she was wearing gloves.

Mr. Kinomoto, sensing her nervousness, squeezed Sakura's hand to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. However when she heard the elegant wedding tune, the cue to the beginning of the ceremony, she began to feel nauseous once more. Tomoyo, who was standing right next to them, observed Sakura's green expression and immediately opened her silver clutch to look for something. Once she found the object, Tomoyo opened it and forced it into Sakura's mouth.

"It's mint for your nerves."

Sakura, sensing a threat in Tomoyo's concern, nodded and began to suck on the mint.

Tomoyo led them towards large, renaissance-styles double doors, behind which Sakura's future lay.

After peeking through the stained glass, Tomoyo faced Sakura and Mr. Kinomoto.

"When i signal you, that is your cue to begin walking towards the altar. Understood?"

They both bobbed their head in understanding.

"Remember, the cue is a-"

"Opera-styled here comes the bride," Sakura and Mr. Kinomoto said in unison. They had heard this speech fifty times since they had left the waiting room.

"Fine," Tomoyo stated, with feelings obviously bruised, "I'm gonna leave to check now."

Tomoyo playfully punched Sakura and opened the doors to enter the wedding party.

Feeling as if judgement day were approaching, Sakura felt her heart was going to tear out of her chest. _What if i fall? What if Derek doesn't like that way i look?_

To relax her mind, Sakura closed her eyes and rolled them around for a few seconds, but her routine was interrupted by a flash of amber.

Feeling flustered, Sakura groaned out loud. "Why do i keep on thinking about him?"

Mr. Kinomoto startled her with his comment, "Sakura, he's just beyond that door. You just have to be a little patient."

As he chuckled, Sakura scowled. _No more amber, just dark brown. No amber, no amber, no amber. _

Suddenly Tomoyo appeared before them and wordlessly whisked Sakura's away from the entranceway of the altar towards the end of the hallway.

"Sakura-Chan he isn't here yet. His parents are here, but he isn't. They say he went to get something for you right now", Tomoyo explained in a frantic voice.

Sakura's stomach tightened as if it were being twisted into painful knots.

"You don't think he ditched me do you?"

"No Sakura-Chan he loves you too much…I think he might be stuck in traffic," Tomoyo replied in a hesitant tone.

"Isn't it unlucky for the groom to leave the altar before the wedding?". Sakura began to hyperventilate.

The vibrating of a phone led Sakura to literally jump up. Clutching her heart for dear life, she relaxed a tiny bit when she realized the source had been from her cell phone. With a feeling of uttermost despair encircling her mind in each passing second, she frantically reached for her cell phone.

Not possessing he courage to stare at the screen, Sakura silently handed the phone to Tomoyo and glanced away.

Tomoyo nervously glanced at the screen.

"It's Derek," she stated in a relieved voice, "See, I told you everything is alright".

Sighing in relief, Sakura snatched the phone and began to bombard poor Derek, "Derek where are you? I hope you aren't ditching me on our wedding day!…. Wait who is this?"

She stopped, startled by a stranger's gruff voice.

The new voice told her; "Ma'am I am sorry to inform you that Derek cannot attend the wedding."

"Derek, stop joking and trying to scare me on our wedding day! When I see you I am going to…." Sakura lashed out in disbelief.

"Ma'am please listen. My name is Inspector Jim and right now I am located at the main street intersection.," he broke off abruptly.

A Long tension filled pause filled the air.

"Hello? Please…what's happened at the intersection?" Sakura hysterically screamed into the tiny cell phone.

He then began in a much more tense and hurried voice, " Ma'am there has been a serious car accident, involving a drunk driver colliding into Mr. Derek's car and the car blew up…..and I …am sorry to tell you he is in the hospital right now in a critical condition.

Sakura dropped her cell phone.

_Derek…car crash? Critical?_

The last thing she saw was the dark floor rising to meet her…..

XOXO

For first-time readers: Thank you so much for giving this tale a shot!

For second time: I am so sorry i took so long to update! Ive just had a hectic college semester, which left me no room to write or even read(novels)! gasp. i know. And i am laos sorry that the new update is not the new chapter you all have been waiting for, but an updated first chapter. I really felt the story had too many plot-holes and i feel i need to give it a complete reboot. Don't worry the integrity, romance, and comedy of the piece will not be compromised, but it will have more depth. I promise you will enjoy this one even more. Since i have a month off, expect longer condensed chapters filled with a mixture of new and old material.

Please Rate and Review!


	2. The Unspoken Goodbye

Chapter 2: The Unspoken Goodbye

Amber eyes, cars crashes and cell phones plagued Sakura's dreams. What had began as a sweet daydream, cruising through a car with the mysterious stranger, turned into a nightmare as she crashed the car into Derek, who had appeared out of nowhere. Just as she witnessed the glossy white surface ram into Derek's helpless figure, she woke up.

"Where am I?", she whispered groggily.

Sakura surveyed her surroundings and saw that she was in an unfamiliar white-washed room. She saw Tomoyo was seated right next to her; donning an expression of unspoken sadness. Her puffy, red eyes and grim facial expression made Sakura feel uneasy.

Pushing herself up with her wrists, she took Tomoyo's hands.

"Is everything alright?". Even Sakura's words sounded hollow to her. When Tomoyo stared directly into Sakura's eyes and slowly shook her head, the events prior to her fainting spell rushed at her. The impact was far too severe for the weak Sakura to handle, so she clutched her head and released a moan of despair.

"Please tell me it was a bad dream, Please tell me that I just fainted and that Derek is waiting outside of the room ready to marry me," she faintly murmured.

Tomoyo clenched Sakura's hands even tighter and shifted her gaze away for a few seconds. She bit her lip, uncertain whether she should utter the next words, "The accident was real."

Sakura dug her french-manicured fingernails into her hand; she felt a sting of pain, but ignored it. There was a pain larger than the physical engulfing her.

After what seemed like an hour, Sakura spoke in a cracked voice, "Where is he right now?"

He's in a critical state right now. The doctors are trying their best, but…."

Tomoyo erupted into silent sobs. Sakura just stared on; the breaking point had not reached its saturation just yet.

"He's going to be alright Tomoyo. I have faith in my love."

Instead of feeling reassured, Tomoyo sobbed even louder. She knew Derek was breathing his last. _How is Sakura going to handle this?_

They both heard a knock on the door, and Tomoyo immediately wiped her tears and went to open it. Touya stepped in and rushed towards Sakura.

"Are you okay? Are you feeling dizzy? Can you see me properly?" he bombarded.

Sakura got out of bed and saw that she was still in her wedding dress. "I'm fine Touya. Tell me about Derek. Tomoyo is not telling me where he is. She keeps on telling me he's critical and then she starts crying. She's s emotional sometimes, right Touya?".

Sakura began to laugh sardonically, "As if anything could happen to my Derek."

Tomoyo and Touya looked at each other; concern was etched upon their faces.

Touya took the first step towards Sakura. He reached his hand out cautiously, "Sakura. Listen to me. Derek is…."

"Shut up Touya! Just tell me where he is!" Sakura screamed as she took a step backwards.

In response to her outburst, Touya did nothing. He merely stood there silently for a few moments before he stated, "He's next door."

Sakura smiled, "He woke up! See I knew he would be okay! My faith would never betray me! I have to run to him now-"

Sakura sprinted out of the room in her bridal dress, with the ripped train, trailing behind her.

After Sakura left, Tomoyo stared at Touya in disbelief.

She began to accuse him, "How could you let her leave like that? He's dying."

Touya cringed, "Because she would never forgive me if i didn't."

XOXO

Sakura ran out of the room like a starved peasant running after a loaf of bread; this time the only thing that would satiate her was to see Derek alive. She turned the corner to Derek's room and witnessed something that made her blood curdle, through the door's glass window; Derek writhing like a worm under the electric therapy. With saucer-wide, on the brink of tears eyes, she watched in horror as the doctors were attempting to breathe life into a dwindling Derek.

Derek, whose every breath was nearing his last.

"Hold" the doctor ordered out.

Derek, who opened his eyes to see Sakura.

"Hold".

Derek, whose eyes expressed guilt.

"Hold."

Guilt for leaving her like this.

"Time of death: 8 pm."

Sakura felt the tears leave her eyes, just as Derek had breathed his last.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye," Sakura whispered into the glass. She slowly slid down the door and began to erupt into sobs in the shade of her wedding dress.

XOXO

The funeral happened the next day. Tomoyo, ironically, who had taken care of the arrangements for the wedding, had done the same for the funeral. And she left no stone unturned in making sure it was a fit tribute to Derek's legacy. Daisies, his favorite flowers were surrounding his mahogany casket; the effect made it seem as if he were simply sleeping in a meadow of gold. His bruises had been washed and covered with make-up as to making it seem as if he were never injured. Furthermore, he was dressed in what was supposed to be his reception tux; a sad legacy to a life that never was. The room in which his casket lay was filled with memories of Derek's short yet sweet life: a cute chubby baby staring confusedly at the camera, a proud toddler displaying a train-track smile, a teenager embarrassed in a shot next to his mother, and finally a confident adult kissing the cheek of the love of his life, Sakura. Sometimes the light of life is only to be seen for a short time…

A whole array of mourners sat in the somber funeral home, which was lit by several expensive-looking chandeliers. However, the light did little to reassure the darkened spirits of Deerek's parents who were hysterically sobbing over their son's corpse.

Derek's mother, a middle-aged beauty with short wavy graying hair cried into her grey handkerchief. "My baby! John…my baby….look he's lying there! Why won't he come talk to his momma? He always talks to me. He never says no to his momma John. He never leaves me alone John."

Her husband John, wiped the never-ending flow of tears beneath his square glasses and put his arms around his wife in a protective grasp. Smoothing her hair gently, he murmured, "Derek is just sleeping Darla. Look at how peaceful he looks. He's in a place of no pain right now. No pain…."

His voice cracked and he buried his face into his wife's shoulder. They both cried in each other's arms, over the son they had just lost. A son, who with his departure, left nothing but pain behind.

Sakura was seated right next to them, in the front row, and she just stared at the picture of Derek kissing her on the check. Not once did she gaze at the casket.

Tomoyo sat behind Sakura and constantly wiped her tears as the inflow of relatives came in and re-opened each wound of loss. Touya and Mr. Kinomoto sat in the row behind Tomoyo, where they just sat, staring down at their folded hands.

After a few hours, the time had come to close the casket and bury it in the cemetery across the funeral home. Everybody gathered in a crowd to offer their last prayers and farewells to Derek.

The distant relatives and friends went first: they took one look at Derek, wept a few tears, left a bouquet of flowers near his casket, and offered a few grievances to Derek's parents once more before they hurriedly rushed out of the melancholy arena of despair. For nobody likes to stay at such a gloomy place for so long.

Touya and Mr. Kinomoto then offered their farewells. Mr. Kinomoto lovingly patted Derek's head, "You'll always be a son to me."

Next, Touya, surprisingly shed tears and cried silently into his palms. He set down a bouquet of white lilies and left without saying a word. He gave Sakura one sorrowful look before he left.

Tomoyo walked slowly towards the casket. Since Tomoyo was afraid of corpses, she took a quick look at Derek, laid her final farewell and bolted from the room. She had lain a tiny origami swan of glittering upon his hand.

Next came Derek's mother and father, who caressed and kissed their only child in between sobs and painful cries of injustice and questions of "why?"

No time is ever enough to say goodbye to one's dead child. No time that exists realistically. Thus, even when one prepares for the goodbye, the pain of saying it never lessens.

When the funeral manager announced that the time for the burial was nearing, Derek's parents grew even more hysterical and his mother began to clutch Derek's body with more vigor. She didn't want to let her baby go. After much restraint from her husband, she kissed her son one last time and walked away from the casket.

Sakura was still sitting in the front row still staring at the once-glorious memory of Derek and herself. She only looked away when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She glanced up to see it was Derek's mother. She immediately stood up and bowed slightly to acknowledge their presence. Derek's mother also bowed and lovingly placed her hands upon Sakura's cheek.

"Derek chose well."

Sakura's face contorted with unspeakable agony and she grabbed Derek's mother in a tight hug. Derek's mother, in turn, comforted Sakura by patting her back in circular motions. It had been so long since Sakura had felt as if she were in a mother's loving embrace…

As they parted from the embrace, Derek's mother placed a small object in Sakura's hands and kissed her on the cheek.

Before she left with her husband, she whispered to Sakura, "Derek's gift to you."

Sakura slowly opened her hand to reveal a swarovski rose brooch, the most peculiar shade of amber.

Swaying towards the casket, in an hall full of endless color, Sakura felt her world was spiraling into a whirlpool of darkness; cold, meaningless, and full of…guilt. With warm tears cascading down her gaunt face, Sakura lightly touched her lips to Derek's ice-cold ones.

Then she laid her "farewell" upon Derek's folded hands and left.

When the funeral manager came to close Derek's casket, he noticed a brilliant flash of blue emitting a blue aura around Derek's face, with the effect making him seem angelic, almost at peace.

A/N

I felt the earlier scene with Derek had too much dialogue and this one without words just seemed so much more powerful. I realized sometimes less is better. Hopefully, you guys like it! I'm hoping to have the updated chapter 3 up in 2 days or so. Until then, i must bid adieu my fellow readers. Thank you so much for reading this.


	3. A Shift in the Winds

Happy New Year to all you lovely people! I hope this new year brings prosperity and success for all. =)

I know i said i would post this in two days, but some things just turned up and i couldn't. You know how the holidays go. Well, this chapter like the other changed one presents a different account of Sakura dealing with Derek's loss- a more realistic one with more narrative purpose. Hopefully you will enjoy this one even more!

Discretion: There is a small gory and violent scene near the end of this chapter. I must say i creeped myself out when i wrote it alone in the dim-lit confines of my room. So just brace yourself.

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS, that proud title solely belongs to Clamp.

All characters are OTT, I am merely exploring extensions of their personalities. ;)

XOXO

Chapter 3: A Shift in the Winds

"She's just been staring at that brooch for the past few days Touya," Tomoyo stated in a worried tone, "She's not eating properly, she's barely talking to me, and she's not even taking showers anymore!"

Tomoyo wrinkled her nose as she said the last statement.

"I think we might have to take her to the hospital if she continues like this. She will eventually get dehydrated. I….I'm scared for her Touya"

"There's not point in crying," Touya took a deep breath, "It won't help with the situation. We need to be brave in front of her…because if we lose control…we'll all be lost."

His voice began to waver, "I'll talk to her."

Tomoyo firmly nodded, attempting to restrain her tide of tears, she silently stepped aside to clear the path so Touya could enter Sakura's room. She prayed for Touya to remain strong; Sakura's state was drastically different from that of her wedding day: a fulfilled soul to one dying of no purpose.

Touya knocked lightly before entering his baby sister's room. A slight smile grazed his broken features as he remembered the past times Sakura had screamed at him for never knocking. When he entered and laid his glance upon Sakura, he froze in horror. As much he had prepared herself for this moment, the preparation had in no way helped him to face the actuality. His stamina completely broke down, as his eyes trailed deeper and deeper into Sakura's transformation: Her once plump, cheerful face was now haggard; her green eyes so full of brightness were now dull; her proud composition was now gone, she was curled in a fetal position rocking back and forth like a mental patient whose only interest lay in the thing before them. In Sakura's case, the interest was the amber brooch. Ever since Sakura had heard from Derek's mother that Derek had gone minutes before the wedding ceremony commenced to get this brooch, she had completely shattered and shut herself in her room. As Tomoyo had explained before, she did not speak, eat, or move- she just stared at that glittering amber beauty. A parasite, which was feeding off Sakura's own existence.

Touya swallowed the hurt rising up, threatening to overcome him, and slowly edged towards Sakura. Bending down, he reached out his hand to touch her, but held back.

_She looks so fragile right now. I fear i may break her._

Instead, he opted for a more safer route: the art of conversation.

"Sakura…" he slowly spoke her name loudly and clearly, "you have to come down to eat." He said that last words in a commanding tone.

No response.

In a softer gesture, he began to whisper like a child whispering a secret to his best friend, "I saw that dad made your favorite dessert, choco tapioca mousse, so i stole some from him. I brought some with me so you can have some before dinner. I know how you like eating dessert before dinner…"

Touya reached into his pockets and pulled out small plastic cups wrapped in paper napkins and placed them on the dusty floor. He then proceeded to wiggle his hands into his jean pockets where he pulled out two ivory-colored plastic spoons. Pulling off the napkin cover, he dipped the spoon into the cup and pulled out a puffy spoon of chocolate heaven. He slowly inched the spoon towards Sakura's mouth, but once it was a mere inch from her face, he swept the goodness into his mouth.

"Yhup, thwat hwti tha spot" he pompously stated with his mouth full, "Twoo bad baby sister."

Sakura had not stirred once. Her eyes remained glued to the locket as if that was sustaining her.

Touya swallowed the bitter pudding and glanced down at the cup. It had suddenly lost its flavor.

"Sakura, please. Eat something. If at least not for your sake, eat for dad's sake. He's worried sick about you! He hasn't gone to work for the past week Sakura. And look at Tomoyo! She comes here every single day to check on you! Do you have any idea of how many meetings she's probably cancelled? And how about me Sakura? How can you be so selfish!?"

Touya continued with his ballistic verbal rampage, "Yes, Sakura you are being really selfish right now! Derek is dead Sakura! He is not coming back! No matter how much you stare at that god-damn thing, it is not going to do anything."

Touya bit his lip to prevent himself from saying more hurtful things; things he knew were hurting him far more than Sakura. Before he knew it, a metallic fluid graced the inside of his mouth and he swallowed the bile whole. Sickened with himself, he slammed his fist on the floor.

"You can't blame yourself for the accident Sakura." he began in a much lower tone, "You had no idea he was going to leave the altar minutes before the wedding to bring that brooch for you. You had no idea his car was going to crash. YOU HAD NO IDEA!"

He began to shake Sakura, "Please wake up Sakura. You're still here!"

With Sakura's repetitive non-responsiveness, Touya buried his face into Sakura's shoulder and placed his arms around her, "I love you little imp. Please come back to us. We need you".

_But what's the use Touya? You can't protect Sakura from herself…_

Directing his eyes towards the ceiling, Touya released a great sigh.

"You see this mom? Look at what has become of this family. Dad is cleaning like a crazed man downstairs; I've seen him clean the same table five times already! And your son is sitting here like a basket case trying to placate your stubborn daughter. She's so clueless sometimes mom, I get scared for her."

He put his arm comfortably around Sakura, "She's not listening to me mom. You saw what happened…Please help me."

Touya released his hold and buried his face for the hundredth time in his hands. He failed to see Sakura's cracked, pale lips move the tiniest fraction as if she were about to say something. When he looked up, he saw Sakura in the same state.

"I'm done Sakura."

He lifted himself from the ground with one hand and gave the gloomy room, shrouded in darkness and still frozen in the pre-wedding setting, a piercing sweep. His eyes fell upon the disgraced bridal dress and his mother's veil.

Touching the wilted wedding veil, he traced the floral lace design to the tip of the veil, which contained diamond and pearl encrusted tiara. The jewels glittered in spite of the dim lighting; they reflected a design on the walls. Awed by the design, he twirled the tiara, which led to a dance of multicolor lights around the room; the effect as if he were in a room under a revolving disco ball. This enchanting effect did not fail to capture the interest of a specific pair of green eyes, which so used to the darkness, were suddenly entranced by the spinning lights.

The merry-go-round of lights continued to spread cheer into the life-less room; the two individuals inhabiting it, suddenly felt a release from all the tension that had been recently plaguing them. Unbeknownst to both, an eerie glow surrounded both of them; a glow not cast by any light source present in the room. The wispy, airy glow inched closer and closer until it surrounded them in a circular ring. Then, a single wisp of the smokey glow separated from the circular band morphed into something resembling a human hand which inched even closer towards Sakura's face. As it reached the soft tenderness of her skin, it slowly caressed her forehead.

Sakura, meanwhile, had begun to feel a bit chilly, but suddenly felt very warm. The feeling overwhelmed her and she shut her eyes, basking in the warmth of the unknown.

On the other hand, Touya had even noticed the chilly-warm feeling that had changed the bitter atmosphere of the room. Suddenly alert, he stopped turning the tiara and looked to his side to see a familiar figure next to Sakura. Donning her evergreen smile, her eyes twinkled with a glint that could only be describes as "I know something you don't".

Before Touya could say or do anything, a knock on the door interrupted his freak stare-fest and diverted his attention for a split second towards the door. When he glanced back, the figure and the aromatic atmosphere that accompanied it, disappeared. He rubbed his eyes to make sure his vision just hadn't blurred, but when he looked one more time, the result was the same. Nothing was there but Sakura staring at her brooch.

_Am i imagining her again?_

Feeling utterly in remission, like a druggie who had just ended his period of high, Touya clenched his fists into balls and slammed them together repeatedly.

In the meantime, Tomoyo opened the door to discover Touya slamming his fists together as if they were engaged in some bullfight. She stood there for a few seconds, but realized that he did not notice her presence..yet. In an effort to accomplish the latter, she cleared her throat loudly and shifted her eyes towards the ceiling as to not make Touya feel awkward.

Touya's eyes widened and he immediately froze in the middle of his "manly fist fight" with himself. He also cleared his throat (to assert his manliness and to erase the awkward air between them) and spoke aloud, "Yes…Tomoyo…what brings you here?"

Tomoyo stifled a giggle, "Well, dinner is ready downstairs.._Touya._" She emphasized his name in a teasing gesture.

Touya did not miss out on the emphasis and glared at her. In a gruff voice (to reassert his manliness, in case she didn't understand the first time) he responded, "I'll be down in a minute."

Tomoyo nodded and glanced towards Sakura. With all hints of lightheartedness gone, she tilted her head towards Sakura twice and stared at Touya. He shook his head and heavily closed his eyes as if a great burden overweighed them. Pressing his fingers to his temples, he rolled them in a circular motion and sighed heavily. He was doing a lot of sighing lately and it did nothing to relieve the pressure inflating him recently.

"Tomoyo…" he hesitated," I need to discuss an important matter with you." He spoke the last few words in a much more assertive and sure manner.

Tomoyo surprised at Touya' remark frowned, "Can't this matter wait until after dinner?"

Touya shook his head, "No. I need to get this off my chest before i explode. It'll only take a few minutes. I promise. And it's something that'll be worth your while." Touya gave her a grim smile.

"I highly doubt Sakura will be able to join us for dinner anyhow. "

Tomoyo nodded, took one pitiful glance at Sakura, and walked out of the room. Touya following her lead, briskly strutted towards the door and reached to close it behind him, but before he did so, he did the most curious thing: he stole a glimpse at Sakura.

XOXO

Sakura exhaled a sigh of weariness, stress, and guilt combined into one large sigh, which culminated in Sakura feeling more alert than ever. Even with issues such as starvation, exhaustion, and lack of motion plaguing her pitiful existence, Sakura still had the motivation to stand up and open the door to follow Touya while he headed towards the room in which he was to have his "top-secret conversation" with Tomoyo in. But this drive did not come without its drawbacks: her feet felt as if she were stepping on knives due to the long duration of immobility, and her head felt lightheaded from the lack of glucose in her system. Thus, Sakura had to keep silent as a mouse and support herself from falling by clutching the walls for assistance; not an easy feat at all. Compared to all her past missions involving this eavesdropping and such, this by far was the most difficult one. After all, she was dealing with a pro like Touya. At one moment, Touya turned around and Sakura was sure he had seen her, but it had turned out he had just done so to sneeze. (His eyes were shut during the sneeze so she had enough time to duck behind a medium-sized cabinet in the middle of the hallway). After that, Sakura was more cautious in her approach: she held her breath and took tiny baby steps to prevent herself from stepping on any wooden boards that might make any creaks.

When Touya closed the door to his room, Sakura quietly released her breath freely, tiptoed towards his door, and planted herself near the right side of his door: an ideal place where she could eavesdrop and sit comfortably without her shadow reflecting on the other side. Once she was in a comfortable position, she pressed her ear near the door.

XOXO

Touya and Tomoyo stood face-to-face in the creamy beige-colored room, the color gave their faces an unnatural orange tint. Touya stared at her with an unfathomable expression; his eyes expressed anguish, yet his mouth was clenched firmly as if he were about to punch someone's jaw out. (Touya did posses the capability to do that). He then did something which puzzled her even more- he bit his bottom lip and chewed it for a few seconds. Tomoyo grew even more nervous as he did this for two reasons: One, Touya had never allowed her to enter his room- or even Sakura for that matter and two, Touya was **never** unsure of what to say, but here he was, at a loss of what to do!

After another minute of Touya repeating his new "unsure" expression, Tomoyo decided to break the ice, "Sooo… your room looks really normal."

She gestured towards the oak desk upon which was sitting an ancient computer model (the one with the enormous computer desktop), his large oak bed with a brown-and-blue striped comforter, and his massive oak dresser with a bunch of expensive-looking colognes and change scattered throughout.

"I regret to say…i am a little disappointed. I expected more from the head of the CCS (Central Corporation of Spies)."

Touya crossed his arms and twisted his mouth in a mocking smile. "Well, Ms. Daidouji, I am so sorry for disappointing your expectations."

Touya then proceeded towards his gigantic dresser and placed his hand behind the circular mirror ,which was perched on top of the dresser, and then said the strangest word in a high-pitched voice, "Gigglybuns."

Before Tomoyo could react to Touya's strange behavior, the room transformed: the bed flipped backwards into the wall and was replaced with a neon colored table with various high-tech gadgets lain in an orderly fashion upon it; the computer desktop also flipped to morph into a widescreen black-television screen depicting a digital world map scattered with random blue dots; the dresser had opened up (like a transformer) into a 3-D computer system, where one could control the computer as if one were touching thin air.

Her eyes popped out at the scene unfolding before her and her mouth dropped wide open.

_It was just so…surreal._

Touya leaned against the wall, crossed his arms once again (though this time in pride and not in spite) and placed one leg on the wall in a crossed square position to balance himself.

After she had gawked at the room, swirling around like girl who had just stepped into a candy wonderland, she turned to face Touya with a wide grin on her face.

"This is more like it! This is so kick-ass!"

Touya attempted to stifle his grin, but he was unsuccessful; a small one escaped his "expression-control prison".

In a calm, controlled, and cocky voice Touya responded, "The job does have its perks. And being the manager doesn't hurt either."

Tomoyo clasped her hands together and gushed, "This is just like a scene out of a _Mission Impossible_ film. Sakura only showed me a few gadgets and stuff, but her room doesn't transform into some kind of high-tech secret spy office!"

Her forehead wrinkled in confusion, "But why do you hide this?"

Touya rolled his eyes, "Because Tomoyo, and you better remember not spill this to my dad for the millionth time, our dad is in the dark about our spy profession. I don't want him to worry about us. And we really enjoy our profession so we can't quit either. We're sorta caught in limbo."

His voice turned more menacing as continued, "And I want him to stay in the dark, got it?"

Tomoyo unfazed by his unstated threat, nodded and with a mischievous look in her eyes merely retorted, "Aye Aye, _Gigglybuns."_

Touya snorted, "You and Sakura are so alike its scary." His mind wandered off to the memory where Sakura had first learned of his room activation codeword, where she had the same reaction as Tomoyo.

Tomoyo shrugged, "We are related of course."

"Unfortunately." Touya lamented. Suddenly Touya shifted his tone to a more serious one, "Tomoyo, i brought you here to discuss something very important…concerning…Derek's accident."

Tomoyo's grin instantly washed off her face and was replaced with a tight line.

Meanwhile, Sakura's eyes widened and she pressed her ears more firmly against the door.

Touya walked towards his window, covered by a black screen to ensure privacy, and gazed at the dark horizon littered with monster thunderclouds.

"I guess I should begin from the very beginning. You know Derek and Sakura met through the CCS and after several missions, they realized that this life was too dangerous for them to continue so they sent me their resignation letters the a month before the wedding. "

Touya paused and hesitated before continuing.

"Yes, Touya, Sakura told me" Tomoyo stated quietly, "Derek and Sakura promised each other that they would quit their jobs to begin their new life together."

"Yes…But Derek broke his promise….at my request."

Sakura slowly backed away from the door and clutched the door frame for support with her head reeling with all the information she had just heard.

_Derek…broke his promise? But why?_

Tomoyo mirrored Sakura's thoughts exactly, "What was so important Touya that you forced Derek to break his promise to the women he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with?"

Her voice took a more heated tone as she had continued her sentence.

"There was this one case, the Li Empire case, which was absolutely crucial for the CCS to solve. My superiors were pushing me to tackle this case because many previous agents that had been working on the case were disappearing. I had to handle three cases at the time so I-"

"So you decided to send Derek on one of the most dangerous case, where other skilled agents are disappearing, weeks before his wedding? Bravo Touya, Bravo. " Tomoyo spat, with sarcasm heavily weighing her every word. "How could you?"

He's one of my best agents. This was supposed to be his last case Tomoyo," Touya pleaded.

"And it really was Touya. His _last _case." Tomoyo bitterly stated.

Touya cringed and slammed his fist against the wall. "It's all my fault Tomoyo. He dug too far into the case and he paid for the consequences with his life." His words weigh heavily with guilt.

"What do you mean Touya?"

Touya turned around to look at Tomoyo squarely in the eyes as he said his next words, "The car accident was planned for Derek's death."

Tomoyo opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Slumping to the ground, Tomoyo placed her hand near her mouth in disbelief.

"Pl-, pl-, planned? Who would do such a thing?"

Touya raked his hand through his hair. Defeated, he exhaled, "I don't know….But i will find out who."

"No."

"What do you mean no?"

Tomoyo cleared her throat, "Sakura wouldn't want to lose her brother as well."

The neon lights from the wall-wide computer screen shone on their faces to reveal their contrasting facial expressions: Tomoyo's fierce eyes revealed her determination, while Touya's listless ones reflected hopelessness all over.

"Please Touya. Just leave this case alone," Tomoyo pleaded, "For Sakura."

Silence ensued and contained the room in its powerful aura; engulfing even Touya in its midst.

While they sat still in eerie lacony, Sakura's world had just collapsed around her, creating a chaotic pandemonium that ripped through all the truths she had ever held dear. As the words sunk into her being, she clutched her chest to prevent herself from tearing apart, but the cracks were only growing larger and larger as all the puzzle pieces aligned. A faint hollowness resounded throughout her heart and she heaved heavily to escape this feeling of emptiness, but it only grew larger and larger until it contained her. Frantically gazing around in madness, Sakura pulled pieces of her hair and trembled as the warm tears rolled down. Nothing made sense anymore, and yet everything was as clear as ever. Derek's bare involvement in the wedding preparations and his frequent "emergencies "had seemed suspicious, but she had just dismissed them as pre-wedding jitters. Now that she knew the truth, she felt sick to her stomach.

_Derek lied to you Sakura. He obviously didn't take the relationship seriously and he wanted to marry you. _

Shaking her head in disgust, she wiped her tears.

_He could have said no to Touya. _

She lifted herself up using the door frame as support and limped to her room down the hallway. Just as she closed the door to her room, Touya opened his and stepped out with Tomoyo trailing behind him. Tomoyo ran down the stairs to help Mr. Kinomoto help set the plates, but Touya lingered for just a moment to glance at Sakura's door before departing downstairs.

XOXO

Mr. Kinomoto stirred the salmon stew and sprinkled some last-minute garnish on top for extra flavor. Tilting his head forward, he inhaled the heavenly scent of one of his favorite comfort foods; the aroma shifted him to his early blissful marriage days where Nadeshko would cook this dish for him, with disastrous results. She would always forget an ingredient or either burn the salmon to a crisp: none of which the least were appetizing. But the taste never mattered to him. Eating one morsel from her hand had satiated him. Sometimes he would even burn the stew to relive those moments, but he would always forget Nadeshko was not there to sweeten the bitterness.

He took the spoon out of the large pot and placed it on a small plate near the stove. Shifting himself a few paces to the right, he stood in front of the sink where a dirty pile of dishes lay. Turning on the faucet, he reached for a grimy bowl, but stopped midway. Placing his weight on the marble table surface along side the sink, he bowed his head. Some water began to sprinkle in his direction as the drops bounced off the dishes, and his face was splattered with fresh sheen. The water droplets rolled down his face and stood on the edge of his jawline; they lingered there for a while as if unsure whether to cling or to fall, but in the end they had no choice but to fall.

He was so lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice a burning odor wafting through the kitchen, until it was too late.

Tomoyo, who had sniffed the burning stew from the bottom of the steps, ran towards the kitchen to turn the stove off.

"Mr. Kinomoto!"

Making no indication that he had heard her, Tomoyo walked towards him and tapped him lightly.

"Your stew is um… burning."

Mr. Kinomoto jumped lightly at the touch, and turned around very quickly. Shifting his glasses, he began to sniff the air and wrinkled his nose.

"Ah yes, the stew," he smiled lightly, "I actually like it burned."

Turning back to the dishes, he picked one up and began to spread the soapy sponge over it. "I set the table up so all you have to do is pour the stew into that bowl there. Is Sakura…?

He stopped when he saw Tomoyo was doing her best to prevent eye contact.

"Ah…well. I'll go to her myself.." He nodded his head slowly, "Maybe she's just not feeling well enough to come down."

"Understatement of the year Dad." Touya waltzed into the kitchen, picked up an apple from the fruit bowl and sat on top of the center kitchen table. He opened his mouth wide to bite into the apple, but Mr. Kinomoto snatched it away from him.

He shook his finger at Touya, "You're going to spoil your dinner son."

Touya stuck his tongue out like a little five year old and Mr. Kinomoto responded by lightly slapping his son on the back.

They both gave each other serious stares for a few seconds before they erupted into contagious chuckles. After a few minutes of the rare laughter resounding throughout the kitchen, Tomoyo finally gave in to the peer-pressure and released a few good-harry chuckles herself.

"This…is…ridiculous!" Tomoyo screamed between bursts of laughter, "Why are we even laughing?"

Unbeknownst to any of them, two hands creeped closer and closer behind Touya….

In the meanwhile, Touya began to spill utter nonsense,

"He took the apple from my hand…haha…"

The hands stretched the fingers outward.

"Like he used to do when we were little..haha…"

The fingers reached their destination: Touya's back, and forcefully pushed him off the table. As Tomoyo and Mr. Kinomoto watched in slow-motion, Touya's facial expression underwent a rapid transformation from jovial (wide grin and crinkled eyes filled with "happy" tears) to an astounded one (eyes wide open and mouth wide in surprise) which remained frozen until his face hit the floor.

SMACK!

Mr. Kinomoto and Tomoyo, in unison, lifted their eyes from Touya's fallen body to the figure towering above it and their mouths dropped wide open.

"Sakura!" Tomoyo darted towards Sakura and grabbed her in a hug, "You came to join us! I was afraid we had lost you."

Sakura hugged Tomoyo even tighter, "When I'm surrounded by such a great support, how could i stray so far?".

Tomoyo let out a squeal ( something which could only be described as an excited pig's snort). "Hmmm, it seems as if Touya's reasoning got across to you."

Mr. Kinomoto, stepped over Touya, who was still lying on the ground (probably in shame), and in one of his rare moments, embraced his daughter. "Welcome back," he breathed through her hair, "I made your favorite."

"I'm sor-"

Mr. Kinomoto put a finger to his lips but Sakura shook her head lightly, "No." She pulled away from her father.

"I owe an apology to all of you for the way i've been acting these past few days. I've really been a pain in the ass."

"At least the imp is acknowledging it".

They all looked toward Touya who was brushing crumbs off his black night suit.

Sakura put her hands on her hips, "Your annoyingness hasn't lessened with that fall. Maybe i need to push you down _one_ more time."

Touya scoffed, "I let you push me down."

Sakura snorted, "As if. Just acknowledge you're not that great, _Touya_."

Touya put his hands up in defeat, "Just for you, I will. I'm just glad you're alive again. Now you can take _finally_ take a shower." He smirked, "I've had to pinch my nose each time i passed by your room. You're a public menace."

Sakura lifted an eyebrow, but remained mute. Touya, accepting this as a sign of Sakura giving up, pulled at his night suit collar and flaunted his victory. But he stopped when he saw Sakura lick her palm.

"W-what are you doing?"

Sakura shrugged and reached for Touya's face with her saliva-laden hand.

"Let's not get too hasty!" Touya took a few steps back; he put his hands in front of himself.

"You called me selfish, i have to _retaliate_ in some way."

Sakura lunged forward and wiped her hand on Touya's face.

Touya made a face as if he were about to vomit; shuddering, he wiped his face with his nightshirt.

"Let's just go eat dinner."

Touya positioned his arms to point in the direction of the dining room, "Ladies first."

"Iiight _Giggly-buns_." She left the kitchen with Tomoyo by her side.

"She's really back, isn't she Touya?" Mr. Kinomoto wiped a tear that escaped his eye.

Touya narrowed his eyes as he watched Sakura dig into the choco dessert with gusto. "That's what it _seems_ like."

"Come on Touya, let's go eat dinner." Mr. Kinomoto patted Touya on the back and ushered him towards the dining room, where they sat to dine in a much more livelier atmosphere than they had imagined. Sakura was literally the life of the party, so to speak, where she joked, giggled, and laughed like she always did. When Sakura poured the stew into her father's bowl and fed him a spoonful, his joy knew no bounds and he found himself tearing up once more. The burnt taste comforted him once more.

_Thank you Nadeshko._

XOXO

Mr. Kinomoto kissed Sakura goodnight and departed for bed, feeling like a much happier man than of late. As reached to turn off the lamplight besides his bed, he gazed at his favorite photograph of Nadeshko where she was perched on a branch of a blossoming cherry blossom tree, while her silvery wavy hair was flowing in the wind. With a content sigh, he placed the photograph in the empty space next to him and turned off the light.

"Goodnight my love."

XOXO

Sakura, Touya, and Tomoyo still hovered behind in the living room to watch some television. Since Halloween was soon approaching, cult classic horror films were airing: Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream with of course the watered-down cutesy disney versions: Sakura forced Touya to change the channel.

"Touya, please change the channel. I am not watching _Hocus Pocus_."

"Well, I feel _Freddy Vs. Jason_ is too gory."

"Touya, we're not five years old anymore! Beside, I've seen much more gore in real life."

"Shhhh, dad could hear."

"He's sleeping. And he won't know what I'm talking about! For all he knows, I could be talking about me witnessing the butcher killing a chicken."

Touya rolled his eyes, "Can you please be serious Sakura?"

"Only when you will Touya. Now come on, pass me the remote." Sakura reached for the remote.

"Come and get it"

Sakura narrowed her eyes and lunged at him with her long fingernails digging deep into the flesh of his right arm. Using her teeth, she bit his hand clenching the remote and watched with wild-eyes as the fingers slowly relaxed their firm grip, until they went limp. She snatched the remote and pressed it to her bosom, to protect it from Touya's greedy hands. She jumped onto the sofa and directed the remote at the TV to change it to her preferred film. She stuck her tongue out at Touya for good measure.

"Har Har, I think i win."

Touya merely rubbed his eyes, "That's because i l_et_ you. I'm just not at my best right now."

Sakura opened her mouth to say something sarcastic, but Tomoyo poked her and pointed towards the film. Thus, Sakura decided to shut her trap and Touya opted for a quick nap.

Sakura and Tomoyo watched with nail-biting angst, the events unfold on the television…

_The dark-haired barely clothed beauty hears a twig breaking in the distance…_

**The shuffling noise awakened her from her sleep and she pulled back the covers to reach for her fuzzy slippers. Stifling a yawn, she opened her bedroom door and looked into the hallway…**

_Dismissing it as a figment of her imagination, she goes back to undressing herself for the night, but stop midway when she hears footsteps approaching…_

**With glazed eyes, she scavenges each corner of the darkened apartment, only lit by the sheer moonlight through the few windows, and breathes a sigh of relief. She goes to turn back, but spies an unusual movement from the corner of her eye.**

_Pulling a spare shirt over herself, she reaches for a nearby bat and stands behind the door of her bedroom._

**With a sense of dread, she ran back into her room, locked the door, and pulls out the drawer of her dresser. Fumbling wildly with her fingers, they finally grasp the smooth metal they had been searching for.**

_She hears the footsteps approaching closer and closer…._

**She heard the familiar click of a loaded gun, but froze when she heard the sound of a heel stepping on wood…the sound becoming more distinct with each passing second…**

_The footsteps suddenly stopped and she dared to breathe for a split second, when somebody grabbed her from behind…_

**She gulps loudly, and holds a hand over her throat to prevent the sound from escaping too loudly. Feeling sweat droplets form on her neck, her hands move to wipe them..but suddenly gloved hands grab her neck and tighten their grip, exerting pressure on her fragile neck…**

_She raises her bat to swing at the attacker, but the bat falls out of her hands as she realizes a knife is penetrating through her stomach. It is pulled out and stabbed into her stomach once more…again…again..again…_

**She claws at the gloved hands, but she begins to feel faint…she gasps for oxygen but her throat is tight…she tilts her head back to look at her attacker…**

_She limply falls to the ground and vomits a pool of blood before she breathes her last…The masked murderer wipes his knife on her shirt and leaves to search for his next prey..._

**Her eyes widen at the recognition of the attacker and she tries to choke out a few words, but she cannot. Tears begin to form in her eyes and she begins to flail her legs, which create a ruckus on the wooden floor. The attacker exerts more energy into the choke… she feels her life slowly leaving her…she stands absolutely still…the attacker drags her and places her on the bed….he closes her lids and places a note near the body…**

"I won the bet! Ha! In your face Tomoyo!" Sakura crossed her arms and raised her head so high that her nose was pointed towards the ceiling, "I told you she was gonna die while she was changing! A horror movie isn't complete without a girl dying while she's naked or partially naked."

Tomoyo shook her head, "But she was still wearing her clothes technically."

"C'mon! Her boobs were practically popping out!"

Touya chose to wake up at this time.

"What's with this inappropriate talk about "women's features" huh?" Touya waved quotation marks in the air as he said "women's features".

Sakura quickly explained the situation to Touya. "So who do you think is right?" She looked at him expectantly with her eyes wide open, just waiting to open wider when he said she was right.

Touya cupped his face and supported it using his elbow, "This is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. I choose…none." He lazily got off the sofa and walked in the direction of the stairway leading to the upstairs portion of the house, "Since your conversation bored me so much, I am going to hit the sack. And ummm Sakura, try not to snore so loud this time. You sounded like a perverted dinosaur last time."

"How-, how-, how dare you Touya!" Sakura picked up a sofa pillow and threw it at him just as he ran up the stairs. She missed of course.

"Watch yourself tonight!" Sakura hissed at the bottom of the stairs, "Beware! A murder's gonna happen tonight."

Sakura crouched downwards to pick up the orange pillow. An audible gasp grabbed her interest. Turning around, she saw Tomoyo's color-drained face gaze in horror at the low-volumed television.

Concerned, Sakura went to sit besides Tomoyo who visibly shaken, was shivering in spite of the high heat blasting through the heaters. Clasping her hands, Sakura began to rub them. "I told you not to eat the burned salmon stew. It is a lot to stomach. Wait here, iI'll bring you some stomach medicine."

Sakura attempted to pull her hands away, but Tomoyo held them with a tight grip. Turning her wide-eyed stare upon Sakura, she whispered, "Sakura, a murder did happen tonight."

"What are you talking about Tomoyo? I don't understan-"

She stopped when she looked at the television along which a headline blared, **Tara Syaoran Li found dead in pent-house apartment in Tokyo, Japan.**

XOXO

A/N: Any guesses on what the bold lettered sentences represent? Haha, i hope i made it pretty obvious on what that represents. Heck, there's even a clue at the end of this chapter! This one took me a while to write because i kept on changing the direction the story would head in, but I've chosen a direction so hopefully the story will be written much faster! As I loved Touya's ability to see his mother in the show (it was bittersweet), I felt i had to pay a tribute to that somehow. And i know many of you are wondering when i will introduce our hero in the story, so have no fear, he will be here in the next chapter! which will be very very long and have tons of funny, perverted and kick-ass action!

P.S. If you guys aren't tired by my writing thus far, you can give my collaboration with a dear friend a shot! It is called **Steps to Achieving the Perfect Romance**, and the pen-name is .Flowers ( a nod to that beautiful show) and it's on fiction press so its an original story with tons of hot guys and romance. It's fluffy, sweet, and chock full of surprises so you'll be smiling the whole time. Seriously.

Until next time,

Serendipitousloveaffair 3

Please Rate and Review!


	4. De-Nile is but a River

Chapter 4: De-Nile is but a River…

Sakura turned the television off.

"Come with me upstairs Tomoyo."

Tomoyo stood there dumbstruck. "But..don't you want to listen to the news?"

"We'll discuss this in my room. I don't want anyone to overhear what I'm about to tell you."

"Oh right, your dad!" She placed her hand over her mouth, "Sorry."

Sakura turned the living room lights off and walked up the stairs with Tomoyo following her and gripping the stair railings as her life support; she couldn't see a thing in the dark.

"You guys need a night-light here," Tomoyo whispered, "I could crack-open my head if I slip you know,"

Sakura didn't say a word. They continued their descent in silence until they reached Sakura's room. After flicking on the lights and locking the door, Sakura stared at Tomoyo with an unfathomable facial expression.

"I'm gonna take over the Li Empire case." Sakura declared in a raspy voice, as if she were dying of thirst.

Tomoyo raised her eyebrow, "You're kidding right?"

Sakura shook her head, "I'm perfectly serious."

"You've completely lost your marbles Sakura. This case isn't a walk-in-the-park , people are dying. First Derek, now Syaoran Li's wife….This isn't just a coincidence. Something darker is at play here and you know it. There's a reason this case is notorious: everyone who has delved too deep has either died or disappeared." Tomoyo pleaded with desperation in her voice, "I've just persuaded Touya to give it up. I don't want to lose you Sakura."

Sakura pouted her lip and opened her arms to embrace Tomoyo. She began to rub her back, "You're so sensitive sometimes Tomoyo." Sakura chuckled lightly, "You should be in a soap drama."

"So does that mean you're not going to take the case?" Tomoyo looked upon Sakura with brightness in her azure eyes.

Sakura snorted, "Nope. I was just comforting you."

Tomoyo pushed Sakura away, took a pillow from her bed and screamed into it; venting all frustration into the fluffy goodness.

Sakura couldn't help crack a grin at the scene. For good measure she added, "You're the only one I could trust Tomoyo…the only one that will understand me…don't turn your back on me now." Sakura clasped her hands and did her best adorable puppy-god imitation. Tomoyo took a break from harassing the pillow and groaned, "Fine. But only because I'm such a great cousin."

Tomoyo threw the pillow on the bed and crossed her arms, "Not to sound like a party-pooper or anything, but how _are_ you going to get through with all of this? There are so many problems you have to tackle before you could even take a peek at the files. First, Touya is never going to let you take this case. Second, you need the _Touya _to set you up with an undercover position and all the legal work that comes along with it. And third, the agency needs to approve this case, which basically means _Touya_ needs to approve it. Sensing a pattern here Sakura?" Tomoyo gasped to regain her breath as she had said all of this without a pause.

"Don't worry, I got a plan." Sakura waved her hand dismissively, "I just need to make sure you won't blab anything to Touya."

Tomoyo twisted her lip, "Well, it all depends on what I _get_ in return."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Fine, fine. I'll give you _one _favor to ask. Just one." She held up one finger and then narrowed her eyes, "But if you even slip a word relating to anything in this situation, I will personally kill you."

Tomoyo rubbed her hands together and let out an evil cackle, "Ha-ha-ha! You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say that. And it quite so happens I _do_ have a favor to ask of you. Since you gave your word and I gave mine, you have to follow whatever I ask right?" Tomoyo blinked rapidly several times, a gesture she did to feign innocence.

Sakura scowled, "Yeah yeah. As long as it doesn't involve killing anyone, I'm game."

Tomoyo smirked and in a really odd, goofy sort of voice responded, "Oh no Sakura. I would never ask you to do something horrid like _that_. Even though you are very capable of doing something of that ghastly nature.."

Sakura rubbed her eyes and waited for Tomoyo to get to her point. _Tomoyo is so superfluous when she knows she's about to ask something unreasonable._

_"…_But I do need someone to attend the inauguration of a new club downtown with me."

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and grinned at the news, "Tomoyo, I thoug-"

"…And -accompany -me -on- a -double- date -which- i -have- set -for- us- on- _ " _ As Tomoyo stated this last sentence, the tone of each word lessened and lessened until the last word was barely audible as a squeak. Tomoyo also closed her eyes after she had uttered the sentence so she tentatively opened one of her eyes to witness Sakura's response.

Sakura's grin slowly dissolved into a prominent frown.

"DOUBLE-DATE!"

XOXO

In a grand room with charcoal grey walls, lined with expensive urban art pieces supported by a platinum frame, scattered with multicolored bouquets, a young man sat at the center of it all. In his antique leather office chair, in front of a desk completely composed of black-glass, he eyed the various business proposals, needing to be verified and signed, with disdain. Reaching for his signature fountain pen, with ink especially imported from the oceans of Indonesia, from the tentacles of the purple octopus, he sighed once again and gave up the attempt. Placing pressure on his feet, he whirled the chair around, like a boss, and came face-to-face with the gorgeous city-line of Shanghai. Even though it had been ten years since he had glanced upon this view for the very first time, the glittering neon lights, the sturdy and bold towers, with the grandness of the circular spiraling bridge alight with constant colored movement, the view had never ceased to amaze him. Even though the view had changed from the first time, with additions of new buildings and demolitions of the old, the integrity of the city had not been lost. Change is inevitable, for it has to keep up with the times, but identity is never lost. And yet, Syaraon Li, the young man observing this ever-expanding city with his _amber eyes_, had lost his identity in all this change.

He remembered the first time he had ever gazed on this view from the comfort and richness of his tower, the day that forever marked the end of his childhood…

(Bold represents flashback)

"**Do you see her coming by?" a crotchety voice squeaked with hints of nervousness, the voice belonged to Syaoran Li, a boy whose voice did not give justice to his appearance at all. Donning a bronzed, toned, and lean body with tousled chocolate-brown hair tossed carefully over his eyes, he kept on blowing on his hair to keep it out of his eyes.**

"**Do I have to keep my hair like this? It's kinda annoying Julian."**

**Julian, an exceptionally tall and skinny boy with silvery grey hair with an even more exceptional appetite, munched on his foot-long baloney and cheddar sandwich with gusto. With his mouth full, he responded, "Absolutely Li. It's the style nowadays."**

**Pieces of moist, chewed, and half-digested food flew out of his mouth on to the floor. Little chickadees flocked to fight over the freshly served "meal".**

"**But I could barely see anything." Syaoran grumbled.**

**Julian shrugged and took another bite. **

**Syaoran nervously glanced at his outfit consisting of a red cashmere sweater encrusted with the institution's logo of a gunned metal-black dragon with fire on its hide spelling **_**Invincible Academy**_**, a black collared shirt underneath, biscuit trouser pants, and sleek leather-hide boots with a newly polished sheen glistening on them.**

"**Say…Julian…" Syaoran cleared his throat, "You sure your sister will like my outfit?"**

**Julian shoved the last morsel of the sandwich into his mouth. Wiping the residue left on his mouth with his hand, he burped loudly. **

"**Of course she will,"**

**Burp.**

"**Rui loves rich guys."**

**Burp.**

**Syaoran stopped fanning his cashmere sweater in-and-out. **

"**You mean, she's only gonna say yes because I'm rich?"**

**Julian stared at him stupidly, his eyes glazing over, probably at the thought of more food. Saliva began to drip from the corners of his mouth so when he opened his mouth, a whole waterfall of saliva dribbled down his chin.**

"**Uhmmm"**

**Syaoran's face morphed into that of disgust; as if he had just tasted sour candy. Not wanting to witness the pitiful sight any longer, he pulled out a heavy handkerchief from his sweater pocket and handed it to Julian, who in turn, wiped his nose with it.**

"**Thanks Syaoran, you're so thoughtful of my cold."**

"**Yeah... Is your sister coming by yet? We've been waiting outside her dorm for an hour already. And it's **_**December**_**. I mean I really like your sister, but I don't want to die waiting for her." Syaoran's teeth began to chatter.**

**Julian peeked behind the wall-gate surrounding the dormitory into the dormitory courtyard and his eyes widened. Grabbing hold of Syaoran (with the same hand he had wiped his mouth with), he pulled him closer and whispered, "She's walking this way!"**

**Syaoran jerked his hand away and quickly pulled out his handy-dandy mini-bottle of hand sanitizer. Today he had especially packed a strawberry scented one so that Rui would become "turned on" by the scent. At least that's what Mark, his best friend, had told him.**

**He even patted some of the glop near his neck. Just in case.**

_**Alright Syaoran, you could do this.**_

**Rubbing his perfectly chap-sticked lips together (strawberry-flavored of course), he pouted his lips. But before he could retract his pose, Julian pushed him into a crowd of giggly, big-breasted, and of course slutty first year college girls. And before he could climb out of that dangerous pit of "excited and surprised girls", he found his lips grazing the neck of a girl, whom he fell on top of. Flustered and hopeful, in case he fell on Rui, he jumped up and straightened his cashmere sweater. He purposely didn't glance at the girl he fell upon. Reaching out a hand (still not looking) he felt his hands grasp a warm and soft hand, slightly tinged with sweat.**

_**Is she nervous as well? Maybe she likes me. Hmmm, it's much larger than I imagined it to be.**_

**The thought brought a smile to his lips and he finally looked up to peek at his dream-girl.**

…**.**

**Except the girl before him was not smiling, no she donned a Cheshire grin from ear-to-ear. And no, she was **_**not**_** his dream-girl.**

"**B-Betty" Syaoran choked out. His eyes widened at the slightly chubby, crimson-faced, and stout girl who stood before him. Betty, the girl in question, wheezed happily into her inhaler and readjusted her fogged glasses. Breathing deeply, she inched towards Syaoran, who inched back with her every inch forward. **

"**I-**

_**breathe**_**-**

**never had**_**-**_

_**breathe-**_

**a clue that you**

_**breathe-**_

**liked me."**

**Betty's nasally voice rang in Syaoran's ears, deafening him. Feeling his heart beat faster, sweat dripping down the nape of his neck, and a slight thudding beginning to pound in his head, his mouth dropped open at the extreme misunderstanding that had just occurred. Darting his eyes to the left, he saw Rui, his ebony-haired beauty in her mini-skirt and perfectly glossed lips, scrunching her eyebrows together.**

"**I- I don't know what you're talking about" Syaoran pulled at his collar, "I think you're mistaken Betty. "**

**Betty frowned, "But you **_**–breathe-**_** kissed **_**me**_**".**

"**It was an accident. Julian pushed me." Syaoran wringed his hands, "I was never supposed to kiss you."**

**Betty's lower lip began to tremble and Rui put her freshly manicured hand around Betty's shoulder and rubbed it gently.**

**With the heat gaining momentum within Syaoran, he blabbered, "In fact. He-he. I- I was here to confess…my feelings for…Rui."**

**The sound of crickets was heard in the near distance. Or at least that was what the awkward silence sounded like. **

**The awkward silence was filled with an even more uncomfortable crying session where Betty cried her eyes out; since she had a severe allergy problem, her eyes were swollen double than normal. And due to her severe asthma problem, she had to breathe through her inhaler triple than normal. The effect? She sounded like a pervert spying on a group of naked ladies. **

**In a calculated move, Julian inched away from the group, clutching the wall as his support and "veil". When Syaoran looked back for some back up, he saw that Julian was long gone.**

_**Holy Shit. What the hell do I do now?**_

**Seeing as how he would look like an ass if he just walked away and an ass if he tried to butter the situation, he chose the one that would harm his reputation least.**

"**Look…um…Betsy…" Syaoran rubbed the back of his neck.**

"**It's **_**–breathe-**_** BETTY!" Betty wailed like an infant whose diaper had been soiled.**

**Rui, making a noise of disgust, glared at Syaoran. "How dare you!? You think you could play with people's feelings just because you're rich? Well here's a newsflash buddy, you're not that great okay? So just get lost!" Rui growled at him. She placed both her hands around Betty's shoulders and led her towards the dormitory hall once more. The rest of the members of Rui's group each gave their personalized version of the death glare: one pointed her middle finger, another kicked him in the shin, while the sluttiest one (meaning barely any clothes on) threw a piece of paper at him and, when nobody was watching, winked at him before she left. He opened and picked up the paper to see this,**

**Hey Sugar lips, call me. **

**Cecilia ;)**

**Crumpling the paper, he threw it over his shoulder and screamed silently, clutching at his hair and pulling out small clumps of it. Some people stopped and stared, but made no movement to ask what was wrong. After half-an-hour, he decided to head back and he did so with his hands in his pockets and his head hung low. **

_**I am such a loser. Rui hates me.**_

**Walking up the stairs to his extraordinary presidential dorm suite, only reserved for those special alumni, he didn't respond when the cleaning staff of the building saluted and acknowledged his presence. Reaching the main hall, he collapsed in one of the domineering red velvet armchairs and covered his face with one hand, while supporting it on his elbow.**

"**This is officially the worst day of my life." Syaoran groaned to no one.**

**A firm hand clenched his shoulder. **

"**Oh, Leave me alone!"**

"**Syaoran." A bold voice rang out.**

**Syaoran sprang up and gave a hug to his best friend. Not noticing the glum expression on his usual cheerful buddy, he began to vent his love life problems, "Mark, you have no idea what happened to me today. I told Rui I liked her, but I ended up kissing her weird friend Betty and then Betty began to cry and Rui hates me and one of her other friends is hitting on me…**

**Syaoran paused to catch his breath and he placed his hand over his chest. "C-crazy right?"**

**Silence.**

**Syaoran glanced at Mark for the first time and saw his stoned expression: glint less eyes and thin line of a smile. Shaking Mark lightly on the shoulder, he asked, "What's wrong buddy?"**

**Mark lifted his cloudy eyes so that they met squarely with Syaoran's clear and confused ones, "Li Sir is dead."**

**Syaoran stopped shaking Mark, "What do you mean he's dead?"**

**Mark looked away from Syaoran and hung his head low, "His body was found lying in a ditch."**

"**But…how is that possible? Wasn't father out of town for a business meeting? He has security guards as well. That must be another body. They're mistaken…**

**Syaoran shook his head, waiting for Mark to contradict what he had said before, but Mark remained mum.**

" **Syaoran, there is no doubt that it is **_**him**_**. I am so sorry."**

**Syaoran slumped near the armchair. "How could this have happened?"**

"**Nobody knows how this happened, but we hired a private detective to investigate the case."**

"**This isn't going to bring him back Mark!" Syaoran bellowed. **

**Mark placed his hand reassuringly on Syaoran's shoulder, "But it will bring a sense of closure for all the pain… He deserves justice."**

**Syaoran began to weep into Mark's shoulder. "I never got the chance to apologize to him. I said such horrible things to him last time…" Snot began to run down his nose, but he did not wipe it. "I didn't know I wouldn't have a chance to say sorry…now he's gone…I'm a horrible son…"**

**His cries resonated through the main hall. The staff, which was listening in through the main doorway, all bowed their heads. In the meanwhile, Mark took out a white handkerchief covered in faint blood marks and handed it to Syaoran.**

"**Sorry, I had a nosebleed last time and the stain wouldn't wash out." Mark mumbled with a slight pink tinge gracing his sun-tanned features. **

"**Thank you Mark," Syaoran turned his watery eyes towards Mark, "I'm glad to have you right now. You've always been more of a brother to me anyways."**

**Mark playfully slapped Syaoran on his cheek and squirmed when he lifted some of the snot and tears mixed in sticky harmony, "Let's get you cleaned up before we leave."**

**Syaoran lifted himself up. Wiping the handkerchief on his miserable features, he clenched his teeth. "How's mother doing?"**

**Mark grimaced, "You should see for yourself. He glanced at his antique gold watch with little diamond inlets, "She's expecting you in three hours. I've hired a private jet for our flight to Shanghai tonight."**

"**Oh joy." Syaoran stumbled towards the bathroom. "I'll be out in ten."**

**XOXO**

**The Li estate was in full preparation for the pending funeral for Mr. Li senior; floors and stairways were polished, fresh mourning daisies were put in to each vase, the curtains were changed to one of a more darker tone, and lastly a larger than life portrait of the late Mr. Li was placed in the grand hall above the large fireplace. When Syaoran walked in to the mansion, the first thing he saw was the portrait of his father: a tall man in a navy buttoned up coat, with his chained spectacles and leaning on a dark beech cane all while staring out his large office window. Syaoran, smiled a little blue smile, as he soaked in his favorite portrait of his father. It always made his father seem more **_**human**_**. Everyone knew his father as a shrewd businessman, but this portrait painted him as a wise thinker who was burdened with much more than what was **_**seen**_**. But now…tears welled up in Syaoran's eyes…he would never have the chance to ask what his father was thinking while he was staring out that window. A tear escaped his orbs of sorrow and he wiped it away. He had to go see his mother in her office and she would not be pleased if she saw that he had been crying publically.**

_**Image is everything…**_** Her words rang in his ears as he climbed the large staircase to the second story, where he walked down a long dim-lit hallway to approach a large oak door carved with the Li Empire logo: a L and E written in script in the outline of a dragon.**

**Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door three times.**

"**Come in," a domineering voice, muffled from the doorway separating them, sounded out.**

**Syaoran opened the door and timidly stepped into his mother's office. His eyes wavered over the new additions of white roses and a new set of crystal elephants in his mother's glass cabinet full of expensive crystalline figurines. He snorted when he saw that his mother was seated in her chestnut leather chair with her back literally turned to him.**

"**Yes, please call the lawyer in immediately. I want everything formalized and legal without any loopholes before the funeral tonight. All the relatives will be clawing at the seat you know. Umhmm… okay twenty minutes? Sounds good. I'll be waiting in my office. Thanks Wei." Yelan Li dictated into her cell phone.**

**A low-pitched beep sounded, signaling the end of the call. Syaoran stood still as a statue and decreased the volume of his breathing so that it was barely audible. Instead of saying anything, he just observed his mother's reflection on the window; her right hand covering her eyes, the concealer failing to hide the dark circles, and the wrinkling of her forehead. He noticed her slump further down into the leather chair. Spontaneously, he took a step. Seeing that his mother had not noticed, he took another. And another. Until he stood right in front of her. The reflection did no justice to the hurt blatantly present on her face. **

"**Momma," he softly whispered. **

**Syaoran grabbed his mother in a protective hug. The image of him promising his mother to always protect her flashed through his mind- he was five then. He felt his mother loosen under his embrace, but as suddenly as that occurred, she tensed up again. She coldly pushed him away. **

"**Syaoran, we don't have time for this."**

**Syaoran stared at her in disbelief, "When do you ever have time to show that you care?"**

**Yelan pursed her lips.**

**Syaoran took this as liberty to continue, "My father, your husband is dead. Don't you think this is a time to support your family? **

"**This isn't fair Syaoran." Yelan closed her eyes and shook her head. **

"**You sending me to boarding school wasn't fair," Syaoran spat out. **

"**We did that for your own good. Besides you don't have to go anymore."**

"**I don't?" **

"**No," Yelan stood up from her chair, "You are going to head the company now."**

"**What? But I can't…I'm only 18…." he spluttered. **

"**With your father gone," Yelan paused, "the next male heir takes control of the company. And that is obviously you. "**

**Syaoran stared at her dumbfounded, "I don't have the experience."**

"**I will teach you," Yelan lifted her head high, "And in a few years you will be excellent at it."**

**He shook his head, "I can't handle this."**

**Yelan narrowed her eyes, "Of course you can. You're my son."**

**Syaoran ran his hand through his hair.**

**Yelan raised her voice, "Will you allow generations of hard work to be wiped out because of your cowardice?" **

"**I am not a coward. If you knew anything about your son, you would know that." Syaoran glared at his mother. Yelan stared for a few seconds, but averted her gaze towards her desk, upon which lay a neat pile of files. **

"**If you don't want the chair, I guess I will just have to hand it over to the trustees. They will give us our share of the company and the rest is up to them."**

"**What will they do with the company?" Syaoran muttered. **

**Yelan took a deep breath; "They're probably going to sell it, part by part."**

**The last words stung Syaoran hard. He couldn't watch the corporation his father had poured his life into, be dismantled before his eyes.…But he wasn't mature enough. What if letting go is the best option?**

"**I'll do it." Syaoran clenched his fists. He forced a grim smile. "Happy now?"**

**Yelan breathed a sigh of relief, "This is for your own good Syaoran, your father would be proud."**

**Syaoran turned around and took a seat in front of her desk. "Tell me what I have to sign."**

**Yelan sat down and shifted a couple of files around. She opened one and handed it to him. **

"**This is just the official document. You will take the pledge tomorrow at the wedding."**

**Syaoran lifted a heavy pen from the side of the table and glanced at the document. **

"**Wait a minute, who's wedding am I going to?"**

**Yelan swallowed and looked at him point-blank, "Yours."**

(End flashback)

Of course he had agreed to marry Tara Song, the famous actress of the famous business tycoon of Northern China. The merger was just practical; the fastest way for the rich to get richer. However the deal wasn't something he disapproved of entirely. He loved his wife. He loved her sense of humor, her beauty, and her wild side. She certainly did not disappoint; she was the ideal lady for public appearances, for speaking to the media and most importantly dealing with his mother. Then again, his mother had listened to her every demand so there wasn't much to deal with, but nonetheless he appreciated the cordial relationship: fewer headaches for the entire household. In the end, their early years proved lucky for them: he learned the "tools of the business" and Tara's acting career skyrocketed.

And then she gave birth to their twins, Neo and Sophia. His joy knew no bounds. He took time off from his busy business schedule and helped Tara with the newborns. They laughed. They cried. They were happy.

But that began to crumble soon enough. Tara's weight gain had ruined her prospects for an early comeback and slowly, producers moved on the next hot thing. No matter how much he had comforted her or had even gotten her several movie deals, nothing would revive his wife. He watched as his wife, the love of his life, slowly fell into the abyss. His mother dismissed this as a phase, but he wasn't so sure. But he did nothing to help. His frequent business trips hadn't helped either. He was not there for Tara when she needed him the most.

The phone call rang clearly in his head: Wei had called to tell him that Tara locked herself and the one-year old twins in a room and set is ablaze. They rescued them before it was too late and they survived. Unfortunately, their marriage didn't. They placed her in an asylum the next day and that was the last he had heard of her. He had failed as a husband. It had been four years since the event and he hadn't gone to see her. Even she was released, he refused to go meet her.

Why?

Because I'm responsible for her condition.

"I should go see her," he mumbled to himself, "But she tried to kill our babies. She doesn't love me anymore. She isn't even herself anymore. What am I going to see?"

The twenty-eight year-old Syaoran Li slammed his fist on his desk. The throbbing pain brought a sense of awareness that made him feel alive.

_Knock knock._

Not noticing the sound, he continued pondering upon his dreary past.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. _

Startled out of his thoughts, he glared at the door.

"Are you trying to knock my door down? Come in already!" he growled to the unseen guest on the other side of the door.

The knob turned and in entered somebody that brought a smile to Syaoran's grumpy face.

"Mark! Am I so glad to see you! Come on buddy, I need a strong drink."

Mark walked slowly towards his desk and sat down in one of the chairs.

"I have something to tell you." Mark replied solemnly.

Syaoran raised an eyebrow, "Let me guess. You lost your virginity to that stripper at the bar downtown."

Mark continued to stare at him with a stony facial expression, "This is serious Syaoran."

Syaoran waited patiently as Mark took out a bundle of black cloth.

"I don't have the heart to tell you myself."

He exited the room without meeting Syaoran's questioning gaze.

With a sense of fear beginning to settle in the pit of his stomach, he gulped and reached for the black bundle. With trembling fingers, he opened the string and peeled away the layers of the cloth. Within it laid the recent newspaper with the headline blaring: Syaoran Li's wife found dead in apartment.

XOXO

Hours passed before he was able to process anything. Regaining a tiny sense of composure, he called Mark through the intercom: "Mark, can you come up to my office?"

He chucked the newspaper in the garbage. Her face was plastered unnaturally on the page- a picture of her before her meltdown-the happier days. He hated it. It was as if the world was mocking him for the beautiful thing he had destroyed.

He turned his chair around to face the Shanghai skyline; the lights contrasted against the dark horizon and the effect made it seem as if fireworks were dancing across the city. He heard a knock on the door and the door opening, but he didn't turn around. He waited for Mark to sit down in a seat before he spoke.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"But Syaoran…"

"Please Mark." Syaoran pleaded.

"What you're doing is not healthy. Holding all of this in is going to eat you alive."

Syaoran swung his chair around. His bloodshot eyes gave him the effect of a hot zombie. "What will you have me do? Do you want me to cry? Scream? I killed her Mark."

"Syaoran, she was found dead in her apartment. The examiners are reporting a drug overdose. She did this to herself. Don't blame yourself for her mistakes. For gods sakes, she tried to kill your kids!"

"I may not have killed her directly, but my neglect certainly did. I drove her to insanity Mark." Syaoran buried his face in his hand, "What am I going to tell the twins? I was going to take them to see their mother."

Mark cast a pitying gaze over his buddy. "You don't have to tell them anything about this right now. Tell them that they will have to wait a little to see their mother."

Syaoran interrupted, "You want me to lie to them? I have never told my kids a lie Mark."

Mark sighed, "They're so young right now. They won't be able to understand anything. Besides Halloween is this Sunday. You don't want to spoil their fun with this news."

Syaoran clenched his teeth and nodded.

Mark got up and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, "I'm here for you buddy."

Syaoran glanced up with tears welling up, "I know."

They stood like that for a few moments until a bell sounded, signaling the end of the late shift.

They remained in silence for a few moments, where the only sound they heard was the shuffling of employees rushing to get home. Mark glanced at his watch.

"It's getting late bud, let's go home."

Syaoran shook his head, "I'm gonna stay back a little. Just to catch up on the workload."

He took a file off the pile on his right and lifted his fountain pen to sign something.

"Syaoran, get some rest. Take a few days off." Mark requested softly.

Syaoran stopped his actions midway and looked at Mark squarely in the eye, "I am the CEO of the Li enterprises, this company isn't going to run with a weak leader."

Mark shook his head, "You need to live a little."

Syaoran continued signing the document with his suave signature, "The Company depends on me Mark."

Mark stifled a groan. He calmly reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter. He coolly placed it on his desk.

"What's this?"

"An invite to the opening of a new club in Japan." Mark briskly replied.

Syaoran rolled his eyes, "I don't have time for clubs alright?"

Mark clucked his tongue disapprovingly, "This is business-related."

Syaoran stopped his signing and lifted his brow, "How so?

Mark smirked, "The club is a project you sponsored. You have to cut the ribbon as the guest of honor."

Syaoran opened his mouth to speak, but Mark cock-blocked him, "And you can't back out of this because you signed the document saying you would."

Syaoran, sensing no way out pinched the bridge of his nose; " I really need a drink right now."

"You could have one tomorrow."

Syaoran growled and threw a pen at Mark, "You're an ass Mark!"

XOXO

I know this is long overdue and I am terribly sorry about that. But it is a lengthy piece and quite insightful about the background of our sexy Syaoran Li. But the more juicy interaction will happen in the next chapter with the fateful meeting in the club! Whoot whoot. It's kinda cliché, but I love 'em. And I know these chapters have been depressing, but the next one is flirty, promiscuous, and downright "dirty" if you know what it mean. It's gonna be one hell of a party.

Serendipitousloveaffair 3

I live for reviews.


	5. The Essence of Insanity

Chapter 5: The Essence of Insanity

The screeching of children had never left resounding chambers of her ears. From the early days of her bumbling childhood, she had endured the obnoxious noises made by her eight brothers and sisters in her overcrowded shack, situated on the edge of the shantytowns. With education serving as the ladder of escapement from her poverty-laden life, she willingly entered the world of exams and textbooks only to realize that the world is a fickle place. No matter where she had escaped to, what new worlds she has encountered, her past as an inferior had haunted her faltering footsteps forward. She had entered the world of opportunity, only to learn that she was limited in her future. Up the ladder she had gone, only to fall once more into the lap of screeching children.

Here she was now, serving as "punching bag" for a set of five-year old brats. This was certainly not what she signed up for. She had expected a more relaxing experience as the governess for the Li family.

"I want cookies now!" roared a tiny light-browned haired boy with his fists stretched out and nose scrunched up in frustration. His honey-tinted eyes reflected longing for a particular batch of the home chef's famous chocolate chip cookies.

"You have to wait until after dinner for dessert Neo," I replied in an exasperated voice, "Madame Li will not like me spoiling your appetite."

A twinkling voice, laced with an ominous tone responded, "I'm gonna tell Grammy you is a bad gloverness."

I turned towards the owner of the sickly hummingbird-sweet voice. Her angelic face encompassed by large doe-like eyes was difficult to take seriously. I tried not to smirk at her attempts at being serious, her eyebrows furrowed in frustration and pouted lower lip, but one escapes my lips.

Children are so ridiculous. They look so innocent until you realize they are nothing more than parasites, sucking away at your precious time and youth.

"Is you laughin at me?" Tears begin to form in Sophia's eyes.

Here we go. Crocodile tears. Everyone melts at them. Everyone, except me.

I bent down to comfort her. I valued my job too much to allow these brats to ruin it all. Taking her hands into my own, I try to soothe her in my trembling voice.

"I didn't mean anything by that. Please believe me. "

Sophia pulls her hands away and takes a few steps backward, "No. You is a bad lady."

Neo stepped in front of Sophia. "You's not the boss of us."

I stand up and cross my arms. "Oh really? What makes you think that?"

Neo takes a brave step forward. "We are the boss of you's"

I laugh sardonically, "Awww, you little brats are so full of it. Just because you're from a rich family, you think you can do anything! You think you can step on us poor folk, huh? Well I'll show you who has the power here."

They both donned expressions of stupidity. Like they didn't know what I was talking about. Arrogance is inherent in the lives of rich people. The money addles their brain. I know for a fact these brats had it in them. The superior mindset, that is. I wasn't gonna let a bunch of five-year old snots tell me what to do.

Aware that their wide doe-like eyes were upon me, I strutted towards the nearest table and took a quick sweep of the goods. The table itself was antique mahogany, set with gold furnishings, no doubt a family heirloom. On the table lay an expensive pot filled with fresh fire-orange lilies. I knew they were fresh because the gardener had just picked them this morning. Their garden was like a personal botanical garden. I've only had a small dirt porch filled with weeds. The injustice fueled my anger.

I took the heavy vase in my hands and threw it down.

Silence.

I looked down at the shattered pieces and walked towards Neo and Sophia. They stood there with their mouths wide open and eyes frozen in shock.

Take that rich kids!

XOXO

The cherry carved door opened to welcome an elderly man whose silver haired handlebar moustache defined his good natured smile. Unfortunately the smile was nowhere to be seen at the moment. Instead, the moustache was slightly wrinkled from a prominent frown grazing his usual amiable features and folds appeared on his forehead. Wei, the respectable head butler, who had served the Li family since the beginning of his days, had entered the room to discover Master Syaoran Li's favorite pot crumbled on the ground. A pot most adored as it represented a hope between two young souls and Syaoran's descent into madness. Tara Song had given Syaoran that pot during their first wedding anniversary. Now it was broken. Nothing tangible was left.

He turned towards the newly appointed governess and saw that she pointed towards the children.

"I tried to stop them but they wouldn't listen."

Wei briefly nodded. He passed the shattered pot sideways and made his way to the dumfounded tots. Kneeling down to their level, he took each of their tiny hands and pulled them closer.

"No matter what happens, your father loves you more than any expensive pot."

Sophia buried her face into Wei's gunmetal black suit jacket and began to sniffle.

"T-that was p-p-papa's favoritest pot. Mommy gave it to him. He- he- is going to hates us."

Neo's lower lip began to tremble. He tried his best not to look Wei directly in the eyes, but Wei placed his free arm on Neo's shoulder and the tears began to slide down Neo's cheeks.

"Come on now, you know your father better than that."

But the children began to cry more at that.

Wei failed to notice the smirk drawn crudely across the new governess's face. He grimaced when she spoke aloud, "But they did break something valuable. Something like that should not go unpunished. I am sure Madame Li will agree with me."

"Madam Li does not set material things higher than her family."

"This is a matter of order and discipline. I am sure Madame Li would agree with me. After all that is what you told me"

The new governess stood with her arms crossed with a smug expression plastered upon her face.

Wei closed his eyes tightly.

"Very well then."

Wei stood up and straightened his jacket, "I have no choice but to fire you then. "

The smug expression slid right across her face into the abyss. Her crossed arms untangled to reveal single ones that were shaking.

"W-what the hell are you talking about?"

Wei calmly replied, "You broke the vase."

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"There is dust from the vase scattered across your shoes. There is not even an inkling of white residue on the twins' shoes. This proves to me you are lying. And according to Madame Li's code of order, liars are not to be tolerated under this household. You are officially, how do the youngsters say it nowadays….?"

Wei put a hand on his chin. Neo stepped forward and pulled on his pant leg. Wei bent down and Neo whispered into his ear.

"Oh my, master Neo. You should not know that word. But I guess parental-controlled television cannot sensor everything."

Wei looked up to see the now-ex-governess giving him a pained expression.

He stepped in front of her. "You are officially screwed"

The young _ex-governess_ covered her face and ran out of the room. She was met with cheering from the loyal household staff. This only caused more misery for her bruised ego.

Wei looked down at the children and winked.

Neo and Sophia looked at him with wonder in their eyes.

"You beliebed us? But how? I thought grown-ups only listened to grown-ups" Neo crinkled his forehead in confusion.

Sophia nodded her head in unision.

Wei chuckled heartily. "Grown-ups aren't always right."

Neo and Sophia glanced at each other, "No ways!"

Wei sighed. He couldn't use that reason anymore to force the twins to brush their teeth at night.

XOXO

Syaoran flung the frayed picture on to the floor and for the thousandth time, bent down to retrieve the photograph once again. His softened eyes grazed the frozen moment, one of bliss and ignorance. He had his armed wrapped around Tara, who was seven months pregnant at the time and his head was buried in her frizzy hair. Tara's hands were firmly cupping his fingers and she was laughing at something he had said, her face radiant with utmost happiness. But he couldn't remember what he had said to make her laugh like that. He found himself forgetting the happier moments in their life. The only ones that remained were the depressing ones. His mother had burnt all their pictures together, but he had kept this one hidden. It was his favorite picture. It was real.

_Ring! Ring!_

"Syaoran Li speaking."

"Young master Li, how are you?"

Syaoran's shoulders relaxed hearing the voice. Feeling a small smile graze his face after so long, he pressed the phone closer to his ear. He replied with a sigh, "I feel exhausted Wei."

"Of course you are. And of course you will be. In light of the recent events, it's natural to feel so. That was stupid of me to ask."

"No. no. It's fine Wei. I'm glad you called. Mother texted me her "condolences." She's reached an all new low with that. She doesn't even have the decency to call me."

"She is currently attending an important conference regarding the recent demise of Mistress Tara."

Syaoran shook his head. "Well I guess that's the least she could do. She never respected her much anyways."

Wei's voice softened, "Your mother had her reasons."

"Bah! She's only cared about the company. She sold her own son to keep the company alive. She's had her reasons? There's only one in plain sight Wei."

Syaoran felt the heat rush to his face. He wanted to fling his cell across the room.

"You will understand these things in due time. Your mother has made many sacrifices."

Syaoran snorted, "I highly doubt that."

Silence ensued.

"How are the kids doing? Do they know anything?"

"No, they know nothing at all. It is not my place to tell them. They are watching television right now. Although Spongebob Squarepants is not what I would call entertainment."

Syaoran grimaced, "They love that show. How is the new governess doing?"

Wei hesitated before he spoke. This gesture was not lost on Syaoran.

"Don't tell me she quit too."

"No, master Li…"

Syaoran breathed a sigh of relief.

"…I fired her."

"B-but why? Was she not qualified enough?"

"She lacked social refinements. She was not what the children needed."

"I trust you Wei. But.._sigh_… we need one soon. Isn't this the tenth one? What are we going to do Wei?"

Syaoran paused to brush his fingers through his hair, "I wish I could be there with them right now. They probably hate their father for being away all the time."

"Don't be too hard on yourself. You know they love you."

Syaoran felt his eyes begin to moisten. "Now their mother is gone. They're so young and they're already going through so much. I don't know what to tell them."

Wei didn't reply for a moment. Syaoran felt his throat begin to tighten.

"You love Neo and Sophia, young master Li and that is what matters. You'll do the right thing and tell them at the right moment."

"Thank you Wei."

"Always a pleasure young master Li. "

Syaoran cut the phone and spun his chair around. The _Maracon _hotel was one that was fit for a king. It was surely made for one; gold furnishings on the furniture, leather sofas lazily placed at each corner, a private office room with a wonderful view over the state park, and antique paintings made Syaoran feel as if he were at a palace. But the entire atmosphere unsettled him. The gold furnishings gave the room a sickly yellow glow that made him want to throw up, while the leathery smell of the sofas irritated his nose. Feeling like a pauper in a king's palace, he took a pillow from the enormous bed and jumped on to the nearest leather sofa. After turning over a few times, he crossed his arms in satisfaction; he had reached his comfort zone.

Feeling his cell vibrate, he chucked the phone towards the end of the sofa. He was in no mood for dealing with shit of her kind. Checking his platinum Rolex watch, he figured the best way to kill three hours was to sleep.

_He was walking in a maze of some sorts. Surrounded by lush greenery and evergreen foliage, he realized he was in one of the estate gardens. As he walked on, he saw he had come to a dead end. There was only a layer of dense vines covering, presumably a wall. But he tugged at the vines until a faded grey wooden door was revealed. Taking a brass key from his jean's pocket, he felt along the door for the keyhole. Upon finding it, he inserted the key to open the mysterious entranceway. _

_A gentle, warm breeze tickled his face. Before him lay a majestic sight; a clean lake littered with lily toads blackened by the stones that resided beneath, snow-white willow trees surrounding the lake in a circle, and two swans swimming side by side, with ripples resonating across the water. A serene feeling overcame all his guilt, pain, and anguish. Taking off his shoes, he ran on the grass, relishing the refreshing feeling of the dewed grass upon his toes. Perching himself on the side of the lake, he hugged his knees and glanced towards the reflective water. _

_A hand on his shoulder broke his concentration. Glancing up, his eyes widened. It couldn't be…_

"_Tara?"_

_The figure sat down beside him. With a bright aura encompassing her being, Tara looked celestial with her light brown locks flowing back and forth naturally with the breeze. Donning her signature solid cream summer dress, she flashed a million-dollar smile his way._

"_How are you Syaoran?"_

_Crickets chirped in the near distance. _

"_How do you think I've been? You're dead for god's sakes. "_

_She smiled a knowing smile, "Time heals all wounds."_

"_Don't give me that cliché crap. Time just makes it worse."_

"_It's not your fault."_

"_Everyone keeps on saying that!"_

"_Because it's true."_

"_I should have visited you. You were all alone."_

_Tara took his hand, "I forgive you."_

_Syaoran kissed her hand, "I'm so sorry. I was such a bad husband. And now you're gone. I can't even help you anymore."_

_His tear-filled eyes met her composed ones. _

"_I'm in a better place now. And you did help me. You gave me the most wonderful moments of my life. You gave me two beautiful children."_

_She tightened her hold on his hand, "I should be thanking you."_

_Syaoran shook his head, "You don't understand, I was supposed to do those things."_

"_No Syaoran. Our marriage was a contract. You did those things because you cared about me."_

"_I love you. Of course I did."_

_Tara released her hold and shook her head, "I understand. But you were never __**in**__ love with me."_

"_There's a difference? What nonsense are you talking about?"_

"_I was always something temporary for you. And for the longest time I was bitter. Bitter that you never looked at me as a lover, bitter that you never held me as an equal, bitter that you never confided in me. You were always looking for someone else Syaoran."_

_Tara turned Syaoran's face to her own. "These beautiful eyes were never mine." _

_Syaoran cast his eyes down. "There was no one to look for Tara."_

"_At that time no," Tara paused and smiled, "But soon there will be."_

"_I misunderstood you Tara."_

_Tara trailed her fingers down Syaoran's face._

"_We all make mistakes."_

_A slight sliver of thunder began to rumble in the distance. Tara looked towards the darkening sky._

"_Syaoran?"_

"_Umhmm?"_

"_Take care of Neo and Sophia."_

_Syaoran clutched her hand with urgency._

"_You're leaving."_

_It wasn't a question._

"_We all have to go someday."_

"_Tara?"_

"_Yes, Syaoran?"_

"_If it makes you feel any better, I always thought you were a brilliant actress."_

_Tara began to laugh, a twinkling melody, which Syaoran recognized immediately._

"_Sophia has your laugh."_

"_Well, she is my daughter."_

_The thunder began to resound in frequency, coming closer and closer._

_Wordlessly, Tara inched closer to Syaoran. Cupping his face within her hands, she memorized his face with her hands. With tender longing, she placed a soft kiss on his tear-stricken face. She whispered into his ear, "The answer lies within."_

"_What do you m-"_

_But Tara had disappeared with the wind. _

"_TARA!"_

_He screamed hopelessly at the roaring wind._

"_TARA!"_

"Syaoran! It's ok buddy, I'm here for you now."

Syaoran opened his eyes and saw Mark leaning over him with a folder in his hands.

Syaoran replied in a dazed voice, "What's going on?"

"You were having a bad dream."

A/N: Hey guys! I have not forgotten this story and I am determined to finish it by the end of this year. I have no excuses, but my laziness. We all have those summer days where we feel like doing nothing at all, except I had a ton. Anyways, this chapter was initially supposed to be longer. And I have much more written, however I felt that this part has an explanation of its own. It needs its own space. Thank you for sticking by and giving it a shot. Reviews are always welcome- the good and the bad.

Until next time,

Serendipitousloveaffair.


	6. The Preparation for Chaos

A/N: I am so sorry about posting the wrong chapter! I need to be more organized. Without further adieu.

Chapter 6: The Preparation for Chaos

"You looked like you were having a nightmare."

Syaoran rubbed his aching temples with his forefingers. The sensation of suddenly awakening was overwhelming to say the least, he felt like throwing up.

"You kept on calling out Tara," Mark hesitantly replied to the deafening silence that was Syaoran Li.

Syaoran closed his eyes, "She came to meet me."

Mark waited for Syaoran to continue, but sensing that was not going to happen, he reassuringly placed a hand on Syaoran's shoulder.

"What did she say?"

"Nothing. It was just a Nightmare, like you said."

Syaoran got up and briskly walked in the direction of the bathroom, in which reaching, he immediately shut the door. Mark waited patiently outside the door as Syaoran continued, "vomiting his intestines" outwards in an unappealing fashion.

Fidgeting slightly, Mark tentatively knocked on the polished marble door.

"N-need anything? You don't sound so swell."

Mark heard a bunch of incoherent mumblings, which he assumed to be the insults Syaoran was suppressing, before he heard a coherent sentence, "Get me a drink."

Mark prominently frowned, "You are aware that we have to attend the inauguration of a new club downtown right? I came to inform you that the tailors left a rack of suits for you to choose from in the main hallway. "

"Just get me light beer then."

" Syaoran..."

"I promise to behave if you bring me a bottle of Heineken's."

Mark wavered slightly, "Behave normally?"

Syaoran snorted, "As normal as I've ever been."

Taking that as the closest thing he'd come to Syaoran accepting something that had come out of his mouth, Mark knocked on the door in acceptance before leaving the corridor for the beer downstairs at the bar.

Meanwhile, Syaoran cupped the edges of the porcelain toilet, as one would do with a beloved teddy bear. Resting his cheek against the cool belly of the bowl, he felt an icy chill spread throughout his damp body. The inanimate object warmed him.

He also spat into the toilet bowl in an attempt to rid his mouth of the putrid aftertaste, but the morbid sensation remained on his taste buds. Slamming the toilet seat in resignation, he flushed the contents down to the sewers.

With much difficulty, he plopped himself onto the black-and - white granite counter using arms that felt like fresh jelly molds. Heaving from the easy task that had now become an exercise, he surveyed his reflection in the vast oval mirror. In this case, the exterior perfectly reflected the inner turmoil: swollen bloodshot eyes, sallow-looking skin, and an excessively shaking disposition. Literally, his teeth were chattering and his entire body was swaying to some otherworldly rhythm.

Hearing a soft knock on the door, he brushed a hand through his sweat-laden hair and grabbed the signature green bottle from Mark.

"Thanks buddy. I needed this."

Using the rim of the granite counter, he forced the bottle- top off the elixir of potency and took a big chug of the drink.

"Syaoran."

Syaoran took another chug and expectantly glanced at Mark.

Mark pointed at his watch; " We're running dangerously low on time now. I know you aren't feeling physically and mentally well right now, but you need to do this for your reputation. The media will have a bonfire if you don't show up. And you don't want that right now. Not to mention your mother will kill you."

Syaoran nonchalantly bobbed his head and held up his hand, signifying five minutes.

Mark smiled, "I'll go get ready now."

Mark left the bathroom. Syaoran began to close the bathroom door when a foot in the doorway prevented him from doing so.

"What the hell, Mark!"

Mark, with a grim facial expression handed Syaoran his cell.

"Julie texted you 50 times and called you 30 times. Precisely "

"What?" Syaoran looked scandalized.

Mark raised his voice, " Your fiancee, Julie..."

Syaoran closed the door on his face and proceeded to take another chug of his beer.

Xxx

Sakura groaned as Tomoyo tugged at her auburn colored hair in an attempt to tame the grizzly bearded mess her hair had become due to the unnatural heat that had plagued the city in late October.

She winced as Tomoyo dug the comb deeper and deeper.

"OWW! Tomoyo, be careful! You're gonna rip my hair out!" Sakura glared at Tomoyo through the mirror. Tomoyo paid no heed to Sakura's laments, " The event starts in an hour and we are nowhere close to being done!"

"Relax Tomoyo. We'll be ready in time. Besides, the purpose of the entire event is the inauguration of the new club, not us."

Sakura waved her hand imperturbably, "Now go and get ready. I'll take care of my hair, as i should have been doing from the beginning. "

Tomoyo cocked an eyebrow, " Are you sure? You kinda suck at these things."

Sakura nodded, "I promise to do a good job."

Tomoyo heaved a great sigh, "I guess I have no other option. Remember to apply the heat-guard spray before you begin to straighten. "

"Aye, aye cap'n"

After Tomoyo left the room in scout for their outfits (a moment Sakura dreaded terribly), Sakura set sail for the task that was straightening her hair. After pulling out the last knot, she sprayed some heat-tamer spray and brushed the sticky product through her hair. After a ten-second staring contest with the heat-stick-of-doom, Sakura picked it up and began to straighten her hair. After burning her ear a few times, Sakura noticed, with much pride, that she was almost done with the task. Take that Tomoyo!

Happily, Sakura pulled on the last strand of hair and placed it in the ironclad sheets of the machine, where it began to work its magic.

CRASH

Sakura turned abruptly and saw Tomoyo standing in front of the doorway, with her hands over her mouth in a dramatic fashion and gasps of horror emitting from her throat. Stepping over the shoes, she ran towards Sakura and pulled the hair straightener from Sakura's hand.

"How dare you!" Tomoyo, with her unnaturally widened eyes and grinded teeth placed in a menacing scowl, looked downright murderous.

"What did I do?" Sakura backed a few inches away and used her hands as a shield. Just in case. "Relax and tell me."

"You- you- you... burnt your hair! Look at it!"

Sakura took a fistful of hair and felt the rough texture of the strands. Bringing the burnt strings closer to her face, she inhaled deeply and immediately, her face contorted into one of disgust.

"Hmmm, I thought that smell was normal. He...he." Sakura nervously gave a half- hearted laugh and tugged at her rangy t-shirt.

Tomoyo's nostrils flared, as she spoke, "No, Sakura That is not normal at all. I can't believe you burnt your hair! How am I supposed to fix this now? I ask you to do one thing and you can't even do that properly."

"I didn't do it on purpose Tomoyo! This isn't fair."

Tomoyo sniffled and turned around to pick up the dresses that had fallen on the floor. Inspecting them for wrinkles and finding none, she placed the two dresses on the bed and sat dejectedly beside them. With a hand under her chin, she dramatically sighed.

"Tomoyo."

Tomoyo turned her face the other way.

"I'm a spy, remember?"

With the energy of a kid who ate too much chocolate, Tomoyo turned around and clasped her hands.

"Yes, you are a spy! How can I forget? We can use advanced technology to alter your appearance in the eye of the beholder so your fried hair will be gone."

Tomoyo grinned at Sakura expectantly.

"Um, i was just gonna suggest a wig."

"Bah! You're no fun."

Sakura rolled her eyes. Turning towards her cramped closet, she began to rummage through the material hoard, throwing and tossing clothes over her head. Some fell on Tomoyo, who proceeded to rate and comment on each specific article.

"I approve of this one," Tomoyo held up a slightly wrinkled sapphire-colored blouse, "Derek sure knows how to pick 'em..."

Cringing after the realization of what she had said, Tomoyo withheld her tongue and observed Sakura who had suddenly gone limp.

Fearing that Sakura might fall back into her somber phase, Tomoyo watched with bated breath as Sakura slowly, but surely, resumed her movements. Though they were not as eager as before.

"I found the wig Tomoyo."

Sakura placed the wig on the dresser and began stuffing the clothes back in the closet with much force. Marching up to Tomoyo, she snatched the blouse out of her hands and crushed it into the clothes-jungle.

"Sakura..."

"Can we not talk about this every second? I'm not a baby anymore. Shit, every freakin' single day."

Sakura made a grunt of disbelief and began to pace around the room.

"I don't want people to feel sorry for me. Okay?...I just really want things to be as normal as possible. I know things will never be normal again, but let's just try."

Tomoyo nodded her head but remained silent.

"I just have to accept the fact that he's gone." Sakura said this in a tone barely above a whisper, as if she were telling herself this fact.

After a moment she recomposed herself and brushed her bangs out of her face.

"Can you give me the dress?"

Tomoyo furrowed her eyebrows, "Maybe we shouldn't go."

Sakura crossed her arms, "I don't think so.

Before Tomoyo could continue her attempt at being reasonable, Sakura snatched the dress out of Tomoyo's left arm and left for the bathroom. She locked the door and rested her back on the gritty wooden bathroom door. She breathed deeply and slowly, taking in everything that had been occurring in her life. After a moment, she decided to no longer allow her recent past to plague her every step, but to use those experiences to empower her future steps forward. She unzipped the bagged dress and stared in horror at the burgundy red color. The fabric was flimsy and slid out of her hands. Realizing that complaining would only make things worse, Sakura bit her tongue and threw her loungewear off. She slid the cool tissue-like fabric onto her body. The dress clung tightly, but hugged her curves in all the right places. She observed herself in the full-length mirror for another two minutes before heading out. She braced herself for Tomoyo's gush-party and.

Xxxx

Ten and a quarter-seconds later, they were finally ready. Tomoyo had made sure to polish and buff each square inch of their bodies. From the hairs on their forehead to the newly painted pedicure on their toes, they oozed sophistication and perfection. Or so Tomoyo says.

"I can't believe we are doing this," Tomoyo whispered to Sakura, who was observing Touya's window, "We are on a ledge spying on your brother in twenty-freaking-degrees!"

Sakura cut her observation short to raise an eyebrow, "You could have worn a coat. Besides, we need to make sure he doesn't know we went out tonight."

Tomoyo snorted and almost raised her hands up in mock glory until she realized that by doing so, she would plummet to her death.

They rested like that for another minute, until the constant rhythm of snores presented a slumbering melody.

"Okay, he's really asleep. Let's go."

Sakura skillfully jumped from the second story onto the grass. She brushed her hair with her fingers and wiggled her toes on the grass. She would don her heels later on.

"It's your turn now." Sakura gestured Tomoyo to come down.

Tomoyo vehemently shook her head.

"No. I'm gonna die. Please don't make me do this."

Sakura impatiently sighed, "Nothing will happen to you. I'm right here. I'll catch you."

Tomoyo looked down and backed against the bricked wall even more. She clung onto the rim of the window for dear life.

"I'll just go through his room. I'm sure he won't notice with the amount of snoring he's doing."

Sakura shook her head, "The security traps will cream you."

Tomoyo snorted softly, "Ha! I'm sure they aren't that bad."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders, "If you don't mind vermin, be my guest." 

Tomoyo's eyes opened in shock. She glanced towards the window as if to wonder how the vermin would be introduced to her. Taking a big gulp, she continued to look from the ground to the window, surveying her bleak options.

Sakura drummed her fingers against her arms, "I'm sure the easier pathway is to jump."

"Fine. I'll just let you know that if I die, I will haunt you as a ghost for the rest of your life." Tomoyo glared at Sakura.

Sakura began to giggle, "Fine. I'll take that chance. Now come on! We're losing night here!"

Tomoyo clenched her eyes tightly and took the leap of faith.

Xxxx

Slowly, in much agony, with a dash of a bruised ego, Sakura pushed Tomoyo off her butt. With a throbbing pain that winded and continued from her ankle up, Sakura pressed her ankle slighty to check if it was broken. Seeing it was not, she hoisted herself up. Tomoyo, on the other hand, suffered no bruises. Instead, she was inspecting her dress for blemishes or tears.

"Thank goodness its all right." Tomoyo breathed out a sigh of relief.

"I k-" but Sakura stopped midway and glared at Tomoyo.

"You care about your dress but not my ankle? What kind of friend are you? What if I died?"

Sakura whispered all this in hysterics.

Tomoyo waved her hand, "Don't be ridiculous. People don't die from one-story falls. "

Sakura snorted and crossed her arms.

"What?"

"Nothing. Let's go."

Sakura began walking towards the driveway where two cars stood: one, a newly polished sleek, black Mercedes-Benz and the other, a run-down, grey vintage truck. (Vintage as Touya claimed when he brought it for Sakura).

Sakura began walking toward the gaudy truck, but stopped when she saw Tomoyo heading in the other direction.

"Tomoyo! Get back here! That's Touya's car. You know how obsessed he is with it."

"Well what he knows will never hurt him," Tomoyo flashed a triumphant smile as she held up a set of keys, "knicked them while he was in the bathroom."

Sakura flashed an even brighter smile, "Excellent."

Tomoyo inserted the keys and opened the car door. Once inside, they both reveled in the piney smell of new leather and the smooth feel of it, as they ran their fingers over the exquisite material.

"This car is so sexy. Touya is such a loser. He wouldn't even let me touch the car."

Tomoyo caressed the steering wheel, " Why not?"

"He said I would curse the car with my presence. Crazy, right?"

Tomoyo remained silent and awkwardly looked at her hands.

"What?"

"You did...um...get your license revoked in France and England for reckless driving and endangering the lives of the public."

"That was because I was chasing Doctor Pepper! If i hadn't caught him, we would all be obese whales."

"That may be, but just to be safe, I'm driving."

"Fine," Sakura harrumphed, crossed her arms and pouted her lips like a small child that was unsuccessful in reaching into the cookie jar.

Wincing as she turned the key, Tomoyo breathed a sigh of relief as the engine silently came to life.

"This car is so quiet, you could barely hear anything," Tomoyo remarked to Sakura as she continued steering the car out of the driveway, "No wonder he's able to sneak up on you."

Sakura scrunched her eyebrows in frustration, "and he called it his spy skills. Ha! What a joke."

Tomoyo continued driving the car on the foggy road, where only the dim haze of the headlights of the other cars could be made.

"This is so bizarre, I can't see anything. Why is it so foggy **tonight**?" Tomoyo slowed the car down a bit.

"Um, I think it's supposed to rain **tonight**."

"Great. How can we get there if i can't see where im going?"

"Relax Tomoyo. I got my trusty GPS."

Sakura took out her smartphone, which was exceptionally smart, as it was custom made by the artisans of espionage. Average yet not.

"Take me to club Moulin," Sakura commanded. She stared at the device expectantly, but what happens next was the most unexpected. An automatic voice responded, "Preparing route. Connecting to vehicle." The wheel began to turn of its own accord, while some in invisible foot stepped on the accelerator and the car began to move without a passenger driving it.

"Sakura! What's going on? How is this happening?" Tomoyo clutched the sides of her seat in a tight grip. Her nail dug deep into the leather. Her face became pale like a powdered opera singer.

Sakura placed her hands on Tomoyo's bare shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "It's just a spy thing. I guess Touya hotwired these types of phones to the car. Convenient, right?"

Sakura watched the map on her phone and scratched her nose slightly.

Tomoyo, however, was not reassured. "Sakura, the car is driving itself. It's a machine. Machines don't think. This is unnatural."

"Technically I'm controlling it with my phone."

"But..."

Sakura cut her off, "Just relax and enjoy the ride."

To prevent further retorts, Sakura reached over Tomoyo and fumbled with something under her chair. After pressing something down with slight force, Tomoyo's seat pushed backwards in a resting position.

"Hey! What the hell!"

With a smile grazing her heavily masqueraded features, Sakura propped her legs up on the dashboard.

Tomoyo, who was very much annoyed with Sakura at this point, exclaimed, "Sakura, your dress is too short!"

Sakura, with her eyes closed, shrugged. "The windows are tinted. You could barely see anything from the outside. Besides, only a pervert would really be interested in my undergarments."

Tomoyo shook her head disbelievingly; "You are so out of touch with the world Sakura."

In response, Sakura began to blast some loud, obnoxious rock music, which Tomoyo found ear deafening.

Xxxx

The haunting echo of pandemonium struck the serene ambiance of a small neighborhood. Families, eating dinner punctually at the time, peered behind their guised curtains (a norm of some sorts) and glanced upon an odd sight. They had heard a sound of collision between two cars, but only one was damaged. The once-suave metal grey limo looked like timeworn rusty nail compared to the indestructible Mercedes-Benzes, which seemed to gloat in its victory with its scintillating headlights calling out for attention. Neighbors began to text one another on how this was possible. The things that capture the interest of the mob...

Meanwhile, even more chaos was to ensue between the opposite car parties. The community watched with bated breath as a proud man with a distinguishable dishevelment of hair stepped out of the "murdered" limo, while at the same time, a leggy beauty stumbled out of the polished car with her auburn-engrossed head raised up in all its glory.

Face to face they stood. With only the air between them, separating a bloodlust newly formed.

A/N: This chapter had been ready for quite some time. I write the chapters piece by piece, so the delay was due to one piece missing. Obviously, that took some time to fix, but here it is! I promise the next chapter will be posted much more quickly as I am almost done with it.

Happy Labor Day!

Serendipitousloveaffair 3


	7. A Car-Tastrophie

Chapter 7: A Car-tastrophie

If there was one thing Syaoran Li could not tolerate, it was tardiness. Even though he was the supreme champion at arriving late, he despised others following his lead. After all, he was different from the rest of them. He was the boss. So, when the chauffeur showed up a minute late, his patience was beginning to run thin.

"Fire him." Syaoran donned his custom, thousand-dollar Gucci shades.

Tom the chauffeur, a slightly overweight man in his early forties began to sweat profusely. In an act of respect, he took off his navy blue hat to reveal his balding head.

"Sir, there was traffic on the way here. I tried my best." Tom bowed his head while he spoke. He knew keeping the explanation brief and concise was the best way to approach the boss. After all, he had twenty years of experience.

"Obviously it wasn't good enough. Get out of the car."

Mark interjected at this point, "Syaoran, cut the guy some slack."

Ignoring Mark, Syaoran walked briskly past Tom and got into the sleek limo. Once inside, he began honking the car horn at an alarming alacrity.

Exasperated, Mark yelled, "I heard you the first twenty times!"

Turning towards Tom, Mark's eyes softened with a gaze of extreme pity. He placed his hand on Tom's shoulder, slightly wrinkled from the ill fitting.

"If you need anything, just call this number," Mark handed him a business card, "Don't hesitate to ask."

"Is he always like this?" Tom stepped forward and held his head a little higher, "Seems too aged for thirty"

Mark stared at Syaoran's silhouette in the limo. "He wasn't always like this. Life has just been too hard on him."

Tom cleared his throat, "There are some things beyond our control. Sometimes, its for the better."

Mark held out a hand, "Remember. Anything."

Tom shook his outstretched hand, "Goodbye Sir."

Mark gave a brief salute and ran towards the front passenger door.

Tom shook his head as the limo screeched away.

Xxxx

"That was uncalled for," Mark glared at Syaoran, "he's been with us for twenty years! How could you fire a loyal employee like that? Unbelievable."

Mark crossed his arms and snorted angrily, "Obviously you don't care about anybody but yourself."

Syaoran gripped the wheel tighter but refused to comment or make any eye contact.

"It's like I don't even know you anymore. The Syaoran Li I grew up with would never ruin somebody's life like that."

"Shutup!"

Syaoran lifted his eyes from the road and turned to glare at Mark.

"Don't pretend like you know what I'm going through because we are on completely different levels." He spat the words out with pure venom ringing in each syllable.

Mark turned his face towards the window with a muscle protruding slightly on his lower left jaw.

Syaoran began to accelerate the car at a faster rate. From the window, the houses appeared no more than a blur.

"Syaoran...watch the road," Mark's eyes widened, "You're going at 100 mph in a 60 mph zone."

"Don't worry, I'll pay for the ticket." Syaoran ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm worried about you hitt-"

"Oh shit!" Syaoran frantically turned the wheel to the right, the impact of which, sent them forcefully to the right side of the car. Their bodies pushed the extremity of the seatbelt, with the thick fabric constricting their torsos. Clearly shaken and dazed, Syaoran moaned softly and looked towards Mark, who appeared to be unconscious?

"Mark."

Mark remained motionless. Syaoran began to shake him. "Mark! Wake up!"

Mark opened one eye, "I'm awake."

"Then why didn't you answer me goddamit?!"

Mark opened his seatbelt and breathed deeply, "Because I don't want to see who you killed."

Syaoran gulped and looked out his heavily cracked car-window. Through the fissures, he made out another car in front of theirs.

"That stupid car."

Mark made a noise of disgust. "How can you blame this accident on the driver of that car? It was your fault."

Syaoran opened his seatbelt and turned the key to turn off the engine. "Oh hell! It was not my fault. That car came out of nowhere! I was driving carefully."

Mark snorted, "Yeah right. Anyways, you're taking care of this."

Syaoran opened the car door and jumped out of the car to avoid the metal parts hanging from the front of the car. Before he closed the door, he hissed at Mark, "Thanks buddy."

Mark held up a thumbs up and gave him a smirk.

A smirk! Syaoran had never been more infuriated. Mark was supposed to be handling this! Like always!

He turned to face the opposite car and his jaw dropped. The car was unharmed. There was not a single scratch on the car! His car looked like a pile of shit crumbs compared the perfect shape that was the other car. What was worse was that the other car was a newer model of his car; the one he has left at home. The model with military perks: bulletproof windows, the titanium built body, and built in cameras. This was the car of the wealthy. A car he was supposed to be in. But here he was, standing on the side of the ruined limo. His self-confidence fell down a few bars. Hopefully, it was not a business partner. Otherwise, He would never hear the end of it.

Consciously, he began to fix his suit, tightening his tie and smoothing the tiny creases on his arms. Image was everything.

He had just looked down to scan his artisan-crafted leather shoes, when he heard the car door open. His eyes trailed inched across the gravel until they encountered a pair of suede red pumps. Exploring further, his eyes caught sight of pale white ankles, slightly studded with suspicious scars. Finally, he allowed himself the luxury of looking all the way to the top and found himself startled. This was a woman. In a very sexy fitted wine red mini-dress. Which hugged her curves just too perfectly. Not to mention her cleavage was attractive. He dropped his eyes back to her bosom. Thank you shades!

"Ahem!"

He froze. He placed his visual interest on her eyes, which were a vivid shade of green. Kind of like guacamole. Except this guacamole was extra spicy.

"You crashed into my car."

Her voice, naturally tinged with honey, still had the same aromatic effect of sweetness. But the sweetness still had undertones of spice.

"Hello! Are you listening to me driver?"

She snapped her fingers in a feisty manner. The bangles on her wrist tinkled as she did this.

Syaoran's wandered attention shattered as soon as he heard the word "driver".

"Who are you calling driver?" Syaoran stepped forward, "I'll have you know I'm not someone to be tampered with."

He expected the woman to back off or at least apologize, no, instead, she began laughing.

"Who the heck says..." She paused to burst into a fit of giggles, "...tampered anymore? Ha ha!"

She began slapping her knee.

This was not funny.

"Obviously a woman of your standards would know nothing about sophisticated language."

She stopped laughing and glared at him with a deadpan expression.

"Excuse me?" She crossed her arms.

"You are excused." Syaoran smirked.

"Are you insinuating I'm a prostitute?" She raised her eyebrows.

Syaoran with an air of haughtiness replied, "using big words are we now?"

He could swear he heard a growl from the chick's throat.

"Look, I know you probably have clients to visit and all. And I'm in no mood to chit-chat with a whore either. So why don't you hand me a check and we all forget this ever happened?" Syaoran brushed his hair to the side and waited expectantly.

This was a pretty fair deal.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, " Obviously you're delusional if you think I'm paying you even a single penny. You crashed into my car. With that logic you should be paying me."

Syaoran took another step forward. "I don't think so. You damaged my company's car."

He gestured towards the black Benz, "Your car does not have a single scratch."

He continued walking until he was a foot away from her, so close stood he, that he could even smell her musky perfume. He smiled to reveal his professionally whitened teeth, "And I think the police would agree with me considering the empirical evidence."

She remained mute and bit her lip, contemplating her options.

He continued, "Or you could give me a lift and we'll call it square."

Syaoran blinked at his own audacity.

She stepped closer until she was a breath away. She spoke softly, stressing each word on her tongue as if each were a piece of lead; "I don't give lifts to beggars."

With that said, she kicked him in the shin and whisked herself away, in all her feminine glory, with her dignity very much intact. Syaoran, on the other hand, could only watch, slumped on his knees, as the vixen got into her car. He painfully lifted himself up with one hand and watched as the car drove dangerously close to him. He could feel the metal front radiating its heat on him. A slight sliver of sweat ran down his temple. He was half hoping Mark would come out of the car and rescue him from the degradation, but alas, no car door opened. He suspected Mark was having a good chuckle at this entire situation. The vixen's beautiful car honked at him, taunting him with its perfect sound. She opened her window, threw something at him and drove away. He felt the burn a mile away. He glanced down at the object she threw: a mechanic's business card. Placing his expensive shoes over it, he crushed it to oblivion. In the near distance, the blaring of a police car could be heard.

A/N: What did I tell you guys! Chapters will be posted more frequently and quicker as I want to finish this fan fiction by the end of the year. So if you guys want more meatiness in a much faster fashion, please review so I know I'm being appreciated somewhere, by somebody. It does warm the heart, you know.

3 Serenditipitousloveaffair


	8. The Blindness of Blind Dating

Chapter 8: The Blindness of Blind Dating

"And he wore sunglasses to top it off. As of he weren't such a douche already. That bastard had it coming to him." Sakura narrated the entire event in meticulous detail. Tomoyo, eager as ever for drama, leaned closely with her hand under her chin. She paid little attention to the car driving itself; now and then it would drift slightly, but the inhabitants of the car were too engrossed in their own little world to notice such a thing.

"I don't know Sakura. I felt we should have given him a lift. He was rude, yes I admit that, but he was in need." Tomoyo glumly sighed.

Sakura helped herself to a package of gummy bears lying inside the car compartment. She popped a few in her mouth and nonchalantly shrugged, "I gave him a card. It's his decision whether to use it or not."

"That was a half-hearted attempt at best." Tomoyo tilted her head to glare properly at Sakura.

Sakura stuffed a full fistful in her mouth, "bfh ahh arrtempt aht brest."

"You are disgusting when you eat," Tomoyo snatched the bag away and stuffed it in the cup holder, "look I think we should go back."

Tomoyo began eyeing Sakura's phone expectantly, "It's the right thing to do."

Sakura frowned. She quickly stuffed her scuffed iPhone into her pocket. "But we don't have to. And that makes all the difference. Besides, he's a horrible driver."

"As if that justifies everything!" Tomoyo began waving her hand as she emphasized her point," You're a secret agent who can't even help a civilian in need. Pfft."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "I'm on vacation."

They both opened their mouths to speak, but the car suddenly reached to a halt. They eyed each other in worry.

Did the car just break down?

As if on cue, Sakura's phone began to vibrate at a high intensity.

"Ow, this thing is stinging me!"

She pulled it out and a cool voice echoed from the compact metal body, "Destination reached."

They both looked out the window to see a pandemonium of a street. Cars were bumper to bumper; scantily dressed ladies had their arms hooked around men dressed in an assortment of jackets, from leather to wool; teenagers were on their cell phones texting the latest happenings; the papparazzi was hounding a red carpet littered with presumably important people. Yep, this was the premiere of the new club.

"So how do we navigate through all this?" Sakura leaned forward and began slipping her heels on.

Tomoyo clutched the steering wheel and pretended to move forward as the car wavered forward from time to time.

"I was thinking we could hand this to a valet and go ins-"

"Tomoyo, are you crazy? They will take joyrides on this car! No, thank you. I'd rather us park on some street corner."

Sakura began looking around for any available parking but she just saw a triple parked street.

"Oh yeah, the street will be so much better." Tomoyo drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. Suddenly a lightbulb went off in her head.

"Actually I have an idea on where to safely park this car."

She jiggled her eyebrows and shifted the car to the right lane.

"But that's for reserved parking..."

"Oh I know." Tomoyo donned a confident smile.

Sakura grinned and took out her phone. Perk number 43 of being a spy: Ability to hack into any database (besides the powers that be of course).

Xxxx

"Mrs. Shaye, just head that way please. A valet will be escorting you soon."

The said Mrs. Shaye mysteriously pulled the car window down a few inches and slipped a crisp bill into his hand with a satin gloved-hand. "Let's just forget the valet."

"As you wish." The event coordinator discreetly slid the large bill into his coat pocket and ushered them to proceed towards the reserved parking lot.

He watched as the car slid down the cobble-stoned pathway and sighed thinking when he would have the capacity to afford such a thing.

Probably never.

He moved on to the next car.

Xxxx

They parked the car in a secluded area. Where a couple of large bushes obscured most of the car. Spraying themselves with a musky perfume once more, they exited the car and straightened their dresses. Tomoyo the tips of the fingers with her tongue and began to smooth Sakura's flyaways.

"Dude, that is nasty!" Sakura swatted her hand away.

Tomoyo shrugged, "I was just trying to help."

"Not in public please." Sakura began to walk in the direction of the club.

Tomoyo followed and began to rummage through her purse for the tickets, "I swear I put them in here somewhere."

Sakura turned around and frantically said, "Please don't tell me you forgot our tickets at home."

Tomoyo moved towards the nearest car and dropped the contents of the bag onto the trunk. Tubes of lipstick, a set of keys, and a pack of gum fell out. Frustrated, she began to look in the small pockets, but only bills fell out.

"Oh no! I think I left them on the dresser!"

Tomoyo began to cup her face and lament, "I am so sorry Sakura!"

Sakura, who was no stranger to this type of happening, patted Tomoyo's shoulder reassuringly, "don't worry, we'll find another way to get in."

"But how? And the inauguration of the club begins in five minutes." Tomoyo checked her watch and bitterly sighed.

Sakura glanced around her surroundings. She saw that the building itself was newly built, a hybrid stone mixture, something that would take sometime to penetrate. Moreover, the cameras situated at every door were no problem, but she needed her special door-busting gadget to slice through those steel doors. Her eyes finally fell upon one spot, the one and only area, which would be quick and efficient: the red carpet.

Xxxx

"Isn't this like a crime or something?" Tomoyo kept her head low as they rushed towards the crowd.

"It's only a crime if you get caught. And I really don't want to go through that process right now." Sakura saw a car pull up, "Come on! I see one."

"And you're supposed to be enforcing the law." Tomoyo shook her head.

"Policemen enforce laws. I break them for the greater good." Sakura smugly retorted, "In this case, it's for our greater good."

They tottered towards the car. Sakura whispered to Tomoyo, "Remember to grab the first arm you can see. The key is confidence. If you show it enough, they'll believe it."

Tomoyo nodded her head, but still gulped.

Reaching the intended destination, Sakura saw the VIP get out of the car. Since the event managers were keeping the paparazzi at bay, she took this as her cue to grab onto his arm. She jumped at his arm and she felt the reverberations of her move shock him. But he didn't move his arm away.

She smiled as the cameras snapped away; she smiled even wider as the paps asked her questions. Questions, of course, she had no answer to. Blood rushed to her ears, but she continued to wave as if she were a queen. Mustering some shame, she turned her head an inch to glance at her latest puppet. Her mouth dropped wide open, her eyes widened in recognition, and her breath hitched a few notches. This was the arrogant bastard driver. And she was holding onto his arm for dear life.

"Just kill me." She muttered to the phrase to herself.

He turned his head in her direction and smirked.

"Well, well, well who do we have here?" He whispered this in such a hushed tone his lips barely moved, but the impact of his words was spewed across her face.

But she maintained her composure.

"So how did a driver like you get a ticket on the red carpet?"

He slightly shrugged and then brought his lips closer to her ear, "Maybe I'm not a driver."

Sakura shivered from the sensation of his breath on her tender neck. The flurry of flashes momentarily blinded her. Struggling to walk, she gripped his arm tighter.

"I just didn't know women like you were so desperate for attention. Don't you like keeping your business private? Behind closed doors and all?"

Sakura fought the urge to throttle him right there and then.

"I'm not the one with an inferiority complex."

"Oh, so you're not denying it?" He waved towards the crowd.

"I don't have to prove anything to a bastard like you."

With that, they had reached the entrance of the new club. The crowd was dense as a honeycomb society here: a perfect opportunity to make her getaway. Seeing that the bastard's attention was diverted, she tentatively broke her fingers from his sleeve. She saw his body begin to tense, so she darted into a crowd of screaming fanatics who were clearly drunk. Nobody noticed her here. An Elbow two jarred her head, but she had managed to escape unscathed. When she safely got into the club, she heaved a grateful sigh. As she continued to walk, she noticed that she was sweating. She shivered as the heavily air-conditioned room chilled her warmed body. Moving past the dense cluster of people, she observed the surroundings of the club and was quite impressed.

The whole club had a techno feel mixed with elements of sci-fi themes running throughout. The midnight-black walls glistened with neon lights of several patterns; swirls, stars, and waves. There were backlights illuminating the glittering sea-blue marble tables enclosed by nude leather seating. At each corner, a vintage style bar station stood, with three bartenders serving local and exotic drinks; they looked dapper in their metallic gold vests and gelled up hairstyles, almost star-like. At the center of it all stood a shiny black platform on which people were to dance the night away. Sakura had seen many clubs, but not one of this standard. Usually aristocratic homes were filled with this kind of decor and service. A waiter walking around with glasses handed a glass of champagne to her. When she took the glass, she saw that it was made of a heavy crystal and that the cut was meticulously crafted. She took a sip of the bubbly drink and tasted the richness of the sparkling beverage. She looked above to see her reflection glancing back at her: the ceiling was a mosaic of several large glass pieces.

A tap on her shoulder cut her away from the dream-like gazing. Swiftly, she turned around and found herself glancing at a complete stranger. One with massive sideburns heavily bagged under eyes, and an oversized suit seemingly from the 17th century. No, Sakura glanced at the outfit once more, the suit was more like a ghastly dress only a blind grandmother would wear; a dried blood burgundy with frills and ruffles at each opening. She looked over his shoulder to see Tomoyo with a man dressed equally horrible, only in a darker color, so the effect was minimally damaging. Tomoyo also held up her champagne glass in an apologetic manner: she looked guilty.

As she should be.

Sakura wore an expression between disgust and sympathy as the man introduced himself in an accent containing tones of a drawl and creepiness.

"You know, is I had a nickel for every time I saw a pretty girl, I would be only worth a nickel." He took her hand and placed a sloppy kiss on it. He smiled, in effect of his seemingly witty attempts to woo a female, revealing his mustard-yellow crooked teeth. Sakura nodded her head and muttered a hello to his brother, Jagger. Sakura's date for to tonight was Assex.

Sakura merely nodded her head and attempted to crack a smile.

She failed.

Sensing the awkwardness, Assex gestured towards their table.

Apparently, the Sideburn brothers had bought their tickets. And off the "couples" went on what was to be a surprising night indeed.

Xxxx

Sakura gawked as they arrived at their table. A heavy-looking golden plated number thirteen lay propped at the center with expensive black hydrangea arrangement. Extravagantly over-the-top.

Assex paused before the leather booths. As he stood in front of her, Sakura stared at him, expectantly waiting for him to move in. He turned around and moved aside.

"Ladies first."

And if there were ever a fire, you would get out first. This guy is definitely an optimist. He ain't getting' any tonight!

She awkwardly nodded and tugged her dress downwards. She was all too aware of the eager glances towards the area beneath her neck. She cursed herself for not bringing a pullover.

Then, she began to slide towards the center of the booth and almost jumped as she felt a hand push her forward. She saw that Assex was casually touching her back with his eyes on her ass.

Hell no.

As he slid closer, she inched away and moved closer to Tomoyo.

"Thanks for hooking us up with a bunch of horny hillbillys'."

Tomoyo smiled at her date and whispered from the corner of her mouth, "They're from New York."

"That's besides the point."

Tomoyo gave a reproaching glare and patted Sakura's arm with warning, "Be nice. They're awkward but sweet. Besides you've done your fair share of rudeness for the night."

"If you're referring to that bastard driver, I'll have you know I met him again. He called me a whore again." Sakura drained her champagne glass, "probably hitched a ticket or something."

"Wait, you met him here?" Tomoyo put down her glass and shifted closer, "Maybe he's someone important. And you left him stranded back there!"

"I highly doubt. Besides no harm was done. He's here isn't he?" Sakura twisted a strand of hair around her finger and twirled it aimlessly.

"All I know is that karma is a bitchy thing." Tomoyo shifted away from Sakura and begin to talk to Sideburns senior.

Sakura was left moping, with her arms crossed, next to Sideburns junior.

He tapped his finger on the table and glanced at her every now and then. He cleared his throat a couple of times and loosened his velvet orange bowtie, but none attracted Sakura's attention.

"So, um, what do you like to do?" His drawl became more pronounced with his nervousness.

"Nothing. I like to do nothing."

Sideburns junior sighed and twiddled his fingers, "In case you were wondering, I like to collect people."

"What?" Sakura's eyebrows arched downwards, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."

"Nothing. I said nothing."

They both remained silent, with only the techno music reverting between the echoing silence between them. They could hear Tomoyo and Sideburns senior trying to scream over the loud music.

Suddenly, the hype died down and all the surrounding lights dimmed, except for the center of the stage. A couple of men in suits and camera crews herded around the presumed guest of honor. They began to announce, in a booming microphone, the contributions if the guest and Sakura took this as a queue to listen to her music. These speeches went on and on for no reason. These people often just attached their name to the project with a bundle of cash and consider that an accomplishment.

She took out her white headphones and tenderly placed them in each of her ears. She opened her phone and clicked shuffle. She then closed her eyes and allowed the epic tunes to overtake her senses. Two Steps from hell were her favorite composers; they just made her feel ready for battle, wherever, whenever.

Neither the cheering nor blaring of loud music could penetrate this nirvana of epic ness. Except for the punching of Tomoyo's fist into her abdomen.

"Uhh!" She got up from her slouched position, "what the hell Tomoyo!"

Tomoyo pulled out her headphones and glared. She muttered in an angry voice, "Your snoring was blaring all over he club."

Sakura stifled a yawn, "But this is just so boring."

"And you left poor Assex alone! How could you neglect the poor thing like that?" Tomoyo's nostrils flared.

"I don't trust him. There's something really weird about him. I swear I heard him say he, quote on quote, collects people. He seems like a date rape drugging kind of guy to me."

Tomoyo made a sound of disgust, "Hush now! They might hear you."

Tomoyo looked up to see both brothers engrossed in all the inauguration festivities, "Sakura, can you please just pretend to care for my sake? I'm not asking for much. You know, I thought we would have a good time together."

Sakura despondently tucked her headphones in to her purse and gave Tomoyo a little pat. "Fine, I'll guess I'll try to be nice."

Tomoyo touched Sakura's nose, "And don't forget to have fun. Now go show what you're made of!"

My fist will show what I'm made of if these assholes try anything funny.

Tomoyo pushed Sakura towards sideburns junior and she cringed when her bare arm touched his shoulder. Deliberately, he inched her fingers on her arm, very slowly and meticulously, and then steadied her. His hand lingered on her arm and he squeezed it a little before he let go. Sakura saw the imprint of his hand, a scarlet red, against the paleness of her arm. She shivered from the touch; it was an unpleasant feeling.

"The guest of honor gave an interesting speech." Sideburns junior whispered near her ear.

Instinctively, she backed away. "Oh yeah. It was something."

"And did you hear the way the paps were grilling him about his dead wife? Damn, the guy sure has guts."

Something about that statement seemed so familiar.

"Errr, who is the guest of honor?"

He turned towards her with a puzzling facial expression, "don't you know? It's Sy-"

But his brother who suddenly wanted to get drinks, cut him off.

"Excuse me for a moment."

Sakura nodded in response. As they walked a few steps away, Sakura nudged Tomoyo who was reapplying her lipgloss.

"Tomoyo, do you know who the guest of honor is?"

Tomoyo shrugged her shoulders; "I couldn't hear the name over the clapping. Why?"

Sakura shook her head, "Never mind."

The sideburns brothers returned with the drinks. Sakura noted that both brothers inspected the drinks quite carefully before handing them their respectable ones. Now that she thought about it, they took a suspiciously long time in getting the drinks even though there was no line visible.

"Thanks." She saw that is was a Sex on the Beach. On the rocks. She smiled at him and saw that his eyes seemed ever too eager as she brought the drink closer to her lips. Sniffing the concoction, she detected an aroma of unnatural bitterness and her eyes widened in recognition. She pretended to take a sip.

Sideburns junior smirked and took a liberal sip of his cocktail.

"I hope you liked the cocktail. I wasn't sure what to get you so I just took a chance."

You sure did bastard.

"It's fine. I like surprises." She smiled at him and took another fake sip of the cocktail. Then she jammed her elbow into Tomoyo's hand. The Georgia Peach cocktail flew out of her hand onto the pants of Sideburns Senior.

"What the turd!" Sideburns Senior abruptly stood up and made an expression of disgust as he observed the mess.

"I am so sorry. Let me help you clean that up." Tomoyo lifted a heavy table napkin and handed it to Sideburns senior.

He gazed at her in disbelief.

"You should clean it up quick or else it will be difficult to get out." Tomoyo kindly smiled and gestured for him to dab.

Sakura fought the urge to snicker, but one escaped anyways. She was sure that did not help the situation.

Sideburns senior threw the napkin down in frustration, "I will not be mocked like this!"

Then he dramtically rushed towards the bathroom, grumbling and pushing his way through the crowd.

"Will you just excuse me?" Sideburns junior made his way through the crowd, following his brother's footsteps, with a worried expression donning his features.

After he was out of sight, Tomoyo turned on Sakura.

"What was that for?! I know you didn't like them from the beginning, but that was uncalled for. They didn't deserve that"

"They drugged our drinks," Sakura pointed to her cocktail, "I recognized the scent."

Tomoyo's eyes widened, "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. I've observed this kind of behavior before. And all the signs are present. Besides I could smell that drug. Those idiots over spiked it."

Tomoyo placed her hands over her mouth as the realization dawned over her, "Oh my goodness. I almost...we could have been ...raped.."

She began to hyperventilate.

Sakura placed an arm around Tomoyo. "Not when I'm around. Now come on, we need to teach these assholes a lesson."

Tomoyo shook her head, "just let them be. They're not worth it."

"Of course they're not worth it, but I don't want them to repeat this with anyone else. I have a hunch this isn't their first time doing this."

Tomoyo nodded and followed Sakura as they headed towards the bathroom arena. They passed by several couples grinding and wildly dancing against and with each other. The frenzy was so provocative and surreal; mesmerizing yet repulsive at the same time.

Finally they stood in front of the men's restroom. Checking if the corridor was empty and seeing that it was, Sakura unlocked a utility closet next to the restroom and entered it with Tomoyo trailing behind. After they shut the door, they turned on the light. The tiny closet was immediately flooded with a rusty yellow glow.

"What are we doing here?" Tomoyo whispered and hugged herself. Apparently the closets were air-conditioned as well.

Sakura didn't respond. Instead she took out her cell phone and pressed a few buttons until voices permeated the damp air. At first, the voices were mingled with static and were incomprehensible, but eventually the static faded to reveal crystal clear voices. The Sideburn brothers.

"She drank it! I saw her with my own eyes."

"If that slut didn't spill that drink on my dress I would have made the other girl drink it too. Man, I really wanted her. Her assets just turned me on."

"Don't worry brother, we could bang the other one together. Just like old days."

"I guess I'll have to settle for second best. Now, come on. We have a girl to take advantage of."

They began to chuckle and the opening and shutting of the door was heard.

Sakura switched off the device and shared a head-shakin look with Tomoyo.

"Dorks." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Oh my." Tomoyo placed a hand over her mouth, Ssuch brutes."

"They're motherfucking assholes. That's what they are. Don't try to be kind." Sakura waved her phone in attitude.

She closed her eyes and made a face of utter repulsion, "Those fools are ridiculous if they think they were going to share me."

Tomoyo cracked a smile, "No one can take advantage of agent S."

Cracking her knuckles, Sakura responded, "It's show time."

Xxxx

Assex and Jagger had never fit into any crowd. The nerds had rejected them for the lack of a brain, the Deep South Alliance had rejected them for the lack of a Southern accent. But the greatest blow had come from the Miscellaneous Misfits who had accepted everyone that didn't fit into any crowd. Except them. They were considered too "weird " for the entire prospect.

Somber, dejected, and now outcasts, the Billiam brothers turned to the most logical thing that came to their mind: drugs. Dope, Crack, you name it they tried it. Not shying away from their influential roots, they took advantage of every opportunity.

One day they learned the consequences of drugs on other people. The way people were at their highest, yet at their most vulnerable at the same time. Drugs had the power to do much. But the "hoarder" possessed the ultimate power.

Which is when they discovered the date-rape drug, their enthusiasm held no bounds. Pillaging each club under different guise, they "looted" the innocence of many across the globe. They were serial looters with a diminishing intelligence quotient (the effect of drugs, of course).

"I'm so glad we joined that site, big brother. We have so many clients now."

Jagger smiled smugly, "Yes. We are liberating them from their ignorance."

He looked up to see the dynamic duo approaching.

"Here they are."

The brothers each smoothed their hair back in anticipation.

Jagger stepped forward, "Hey ladies. How are you doing tonight? I'm sorry about the misunderstanding from before."

Tomoyo placed her hands on Jagger's shoulders and shifted her lips closer to his ear, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Jagger's eyes widened and he began to stutter, "I-I- the dri-drink. S-she spilled it."

Tomoyo placed a finger on his lips. "Hush now. Don't spoil the night."

Jagger opened his mouth and closed it in shock. Was this really happening?

Apparently it was. Tomoyo seductively stepped away and began to walk towards the electrified dance floor, where movement ran abound. She glanced over her shoulder and winked at Jagger. As if under some trance, he followed her, with confidence increasing in his every step.

Assex looked just as flabbergasted as his brother and he wiped some sweat that had formed on his forehead.

"What's wrong?" Sakura made an act of slurring the last word.

Assex shook his head, as if awakening from a trance. He placed his arm around Sakura and pulled her closer. He buried his face in Sakura's hair and inhaled her scent.

She hadn't washed her hair for three days.

"Nothing. I'm tired of this ruckus. Wanna go someplace more private?"

Sakura drooped her eyelids in a dazed manner and acted wobbly for affect. She placed her hand on her temple, "My head hurts."

She hadn't failed to notice the effect of those words.

"Let me make it better." Assex steered them away towards the elevators.

Confident that Tomoyo would be able to handle her own battle, she let Assex carry on with his heinous act.

When they reached the elevators, they saw that it was just closing. Not wanting to lose any more time, Assex tugged Sakura along and placed his hand in the middle of the closing doors.

The doors opened and they rushed in. This was clumsier than usual with Sakura's "drunkenness".

She leaned against the glass-plated walls of the elevator. Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, she basked in the coolness of the mirrored walls. She glanced upwards and saw a beautiful opaque crystal designed flower wine run across the ceiling of the elevator. She saw Assex press the number 13 and casually slide next to her on her right side. On her left side stood a figure she had seen all too frequently over the last six hours. A figure she thought she would never see again.

The bastard driver. With a smug smile. A smile she so wanted to obliterate off his face,

A/N: I decided to post this as a treat, on account of its my birthday! Whoo hoo! I have finally entered the roaring 20's now. There is not going back now! Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and leave a comment to tell me how I'm doing so far and how you like it. I would really appreciate all the feedback. (Would be an awesome birthday with some reviews ;))

P.S. More Sakura-Syaoran scenes in the next chapter!


	9. You and Me, lovin' in an elevator

Chapter 9: You and Me, lovin' in an elevator

Sakura slumped further down. She half-hoped he hadn't noticed her, but the smug smile across his face, spoke otherwise.

Assex placed his arms around her shoulders, "What's wrong baby?"

Sakura covered her face with her hands, "Nothing, I don't feel so well. "

"Don't worry baby, we'll be in a comfortable place real soon." He squeezed her shoulder in reassurance.

Sakura wanted to tackle the man right there and then. That would lessen half the trouble. Unfortunately, there would be the consequences of a witness. And that involved a lot of unnecessary paperwork. Not to mention the use of a hypnotist.

Syaoran Li rolled his eyes and responded to Assex's blunt statement, "Look, can you please take the PDA down a notch? I'm feeling suffocated in here."

Assex glared at him, "Look man, why don't you mind your own business? What's PDA mean anyway?"

Syaoran shook his hand as if he were talking to a dumb animal. Sakura thought he looked extremely obnoxious.

"I'm not interested in any of your business. Trust me, the truth is far from that. But you and your stupid prostitute are giving me a headache." He began to rub his head; " I don't even know how they let you into this place."

Assex turned his head quickly in Sakura's direction, "You're a prostitute? Holy shit. I though you were a virgin."

He began to scratch his head in confusion.

Sakura stood up and glared a Syaoran. "No, I'm not a prostitute. This guy's crazy!"

Syaoran Li crossed his arms and sneered, "Your dress says it all. Can you make it any easier?"

Although he was wearing shades, Sakura still felt he was checking her out. She tugged her dress a little lower. But it didn't help. She still felt cheap. She made a mental note to kill Tomoyo.

Assex, in an attempt to calm the tension, stepped between them and held his hands up.

"Ya'll need to relax. I think-"

Sakura pushed Assex aside and stood in front of Syaoran. "Since when does appearance judge character?"

In response, Syaoran straightened the nonexistent wrinkles on his jacket.

"In my world, appearances are everything. And you, whatever you are, are not welcome in it."

Sakura mumbled, "Nobody asked," but it was inaudible to his ears.

He checked his look in the mirror behind him and turned towards her, "Now, I am going to make things really clear for you. Once we get out of this elevator, I will have the guards escort you and your client out of this establishment. You go your way, in a place far, far away from mine. Do we understand each other?"

Sakura stepped forward, "Clearly we don't."

The elevator stopped at an abrupt halt. The lights began to oscillate between dimness and brightness, resulting in an unsettling rhythm of discomfort.

Assex began to fumble at the glass walls and held on to the enclosed railing for support, "What's happening?"

The elevator emitted a loud creak and began to sway unnaturally.

"Looks like this amazing establishment has a faulty elevator," Sakura flashed a mock smile at Syaoran, "oh boo."

"This elevator was imported, piece by piece, from France."

He looked disheveled and embarrassed. Even though the light was dim, Sakura could tell his face was red.

She loved it.

"Oh, yeah. That really shows."

"I'll have you know, it cost 5000 to make."

"Are you sure? It looks like they ripped you off," Sakura glanced around at the elevator and shook her head, "Pity, it had to happen on inauguration day. I'm sure the press is going to love this."

"Shutup!" Syaoran slammed his hand against the button panel.

The elevator began to creak. A distinct sound of something snapping was heard. It sounded like it was coming from the ceiling. Before they had time to react, the elevator tilted.

Assex flew against the opposite wall.

Sakura attempted to grab the rail, but the impact of the force of the elevator prevented her from doing so. She braced herself for the wall, but something broke her fall.

Syaoran saw that she was about to fall. Gleefully, he stepped aside to let her slam against the elevator wall. Instead, he was pushed towards the wall.

He winced at the impact. His head, which had hit the glass most forcefully, was painfully throbbing. When he attempted to move, he realized that he was paralyzed. _She_ was on top of him.

Sakura moved her hair out of her face and glanced at Syaoran whose sunglasses were cracked. She also saw that her body was meticulously draped all over his; her legs were over his legs and her arms were around his neck.

Their faces were also very close. So close, that she could hear him breathing. The warmth emanating from his body, made her feel less cold. She moved closer in spite of herself.

The elevator took another lurch. Instinctively, he placed his arms around her waist. He felt her body stiffen under his embrace.

She didn't know what was happening. One moment, she was screaming at the guy and the next, she was leaning towards him for comfort. This was bizarre beyond all means. When he put his arms around her, she felt her stomach flip over.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Sakura pulled away from Syaoran and pushed him against the wall.

"I'm not that type of woman!" Sakura tried to cover herself up with her hands, but she failed miserably.

Syaoran, shocked at the outburst, just glared at her. He pushed himself up with his hands.

"You were the one that fell on me."

"That wasn't my fault! It was this stupid elevator!" Sakura directed her hands in a circular motion towards the elevator.

As if the elevator possessed ears, it began to creak unnaturally.

Assex began to moan, "What's that sound?"

Sakura, remembering that someone else was also in the elevator, diverted her glare from Syaoran towards Assex.

"Obviously, one of the elevator cables broke. Somebody's precious elevator has forsaken him. Great going genius."

Syaoran Li ran his hand through his hair and muttered, "You're impossible."

Assex shook his head slowly, "Does this mean, I'm going to die here?"

Silence ensued. Sakura and Syaoran were too busy glaring at one another to respond.

Interpreting the silence as the sign of an upcoming apocalypse, Assex began to bang the walls, "Oh shit! I don't want to die down here! I'm too young to die!"

"Stop it! You're going to make it worse!" Sakura tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't listen.

He continued to bang at the glass walls.

Exasperated, Sakura took hold of Assex and smacked him squarely across the face.

Assex slumped downwards and remained still.

"You just knocked him out," Syaoran stared at Assex with his mouth wide open and them turned to Sakura, "What are you?"

Detecting a hint of awe in that statement, Sakura smiled and replied, "Never underestimate the power of a woman."

She kissed her hand for good measure.

Syaoran snorted, "Right."

The elevator took another lurch. This time they both were smart enough the grab the rails.

Sakura observed the model and intermittent creaks of the elevator and commented, "I say we have five minutes before the last cable snaps. After that, I think we'll certainly be crushed to pulp."

"Oh, that's reassuring." Syaoran dryly replied.

Sakura lifted an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Fine. Do something about it."

Syaoran spluttered, "E-excuse me?"

Sakura took a step forward, "Yeah, you heard me. Do something."

Syaoran glared at her, "Fine. Watch and learn."

He raised his chin up and took a deep breath. Then he rolled up his sleeves and cracked his neck.

Finally, came the moment of truth.

Lifting one of his hands up, he….

… frantically began to press the emergency button. After the first few attempts failed, he began to press the button with speeding veracity.

Sakura, who was watching this scene with much amusement, slapped her knee and snorted, "Oh, so that's how it's done? I had no idea."

Syaoran ignored her and continued pressing the button.

_This is so embarrassing. Why isn't this working?_

Sakura cleared her throat.

"What." Syaoran spat the word. He still faced the buttons.

"Hold it there pretty boy, we wouldn't want your finger to get hurt. You're gonna break it if you keep doing that."

"Did you just call me pretty boy?" Syaoran raised an eyebrow and turned around.

Blatantly ignoring his statement, she said, "Kneel on the ground."

Syaoran spluttered for the second time that day, "W-what?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Chillax dude, I'm gonna get us out of here. Obviously you raping the emergency button isn't going to help us."

Sakura felt a little flustered. She knew her comment was taken the wrong way. But she did not have any impure intention behind that command.

"Your language is disgusting." Syaoran sneered and took off his jacket.

"Like you never cursed before. W-wait. Why are you taking your jacket off?"

She couldn't disguise the panic in her voice.

Her question was answered as he threw his jacket at her face.

"When we get out, I don't want there to be any misconceptions with the press. I am respectable you know."

Sakura put on the jacket and muttered, "Respectable, my ass."

Nonetheless, she was thankful for the jacket. Atleast, she could do this with some dignity.

"Now don't break my back. You look pretty heavy." She saw that he had followed her command.

With a freshly flushed face, she took off her heels and threw them aside. Then, using the mirrored wall for support, she placed a foot on his shoulder and followed with her other. With her stance mounted stably, she pushed at the small compartment door at the top of the elevator. She was glad there weren't any screws involved.

"Can't you just raise your shoulders a little higher?"

He responded with a grunt, but fulfilled the action nonetheless.

After pushing a few more times, the door was finally loosened and, with a final punch, she blew it open.

"Got it!"

She pushed herself on top of the elevator and peered downwards, "Now give me your hand."

XOXO

Syaoran Li had never been more humiliated in his life. And it was all due to that stupid prostitute. Or whatever she was. The technicalities made no difference in that matter.

First with the car incident and now with the elevator, she was making his life intolerable. She was like his personalized unlucky charm; a siren, freshly emerged from hell, whose sole purpose was to make his life as difficult as possible.

When she asked him to kneel, he had half an urge to tell her to "fuck off," but he refrained from doing so with the thought of his kids. With Tara gone, he didn't want them to become complete orphans.

_But aren't they already? I barely spend time with them. _

As he offered his back as support, he watched as she climbed on top of him and reached for the elevator. He began to mutter curses under his breath, but stopped as he caught sight of her in the mirrors; a sight that made him feel extremely embarrassed.

He had viewed her teddy-bear knickers.

Feeling like a total pervert, he clenched his eyes shut and began to hum a random tune.

"Hey! You down there! Are you listening to me? We got like a minute before this thing collapses! Come on now!"

He snapped out of his weird teddy-wonderland trance and gazed up, "Just give me a moment."

He tried to control his racing heartbeat and gulped to bring some moisture to his dry throat.

_What the fuck is wrong with me? I've seen hundreds of these things before._

_But you haven't seen ones with __**teddy bears**__ on them. _

_What difference does that make?_

_It makes all the difference in the world._

_WHAT THE-_

With his head pounding from this ridiculous inner monologue, he irritably grabbed her hand and pulled himself up.

"Are you alright?"

The genuine concern laced in her voice made him feel ashamed of his thoughts. He refused to look at her.

"No, I'm not fucking alright. Now leave me alone!"

"Hey! I just saved your life here. Is that any way to thank someone?" Sakura furrowed her eyebrows.

Syaoran gritted his teeth, "I would thank you for not ever crossing my path again. Now move."

He pushed her aside as he took a step up to the crowd waiting for him at the edge of the elevator platform.

Sakura, confused and angered by this heightened animosity retorted, "Well screw you!"

Good riddance, she hoped to never meet him again in the future.

A/N: Hello, all you lovely people! Happy New Year! No, I have not forgotten about this fic, just been on a hiatus due to work and all. I really hope to finish this soon. I just keep on getting so many new ideas. I hope to have the next chapter posted in a few days. Reviews might help make it quicker ;)

Thanks

3 Serendipitousloveaffair


	10. Rotten to the Core

RR: Reviews Response

Xing: Yay! I'm glad you get excited for these!

xSapphirexRosesxFanx: The freak's outcome will be implicitly implied in this chapter. If you want to know more, I guess I can throw a reference in a future chapter. And I totally agree. Syaoran is such a spazz. But that's why we love him.

CrescentMoonTenshi: Aww, that is so sweet of you! I do feel honored and loved. Hopefully the story continues to meet your expectations.

To all the readers: Thank you for journeying with me thus far. Seriously, it takes a lot to read a fanfic, which has no set timings in updates. I will strive to resolve that issue with chapter banks, which include chapters already written. Without further adieu, let's continue this roller-coaster of a tale.

XOXO

Chapter 10: Rotten to the Core

"You kneed him in the crotch." Touya casually commented as his nostrils flared.

Sakura detected a sense of pride in the statement.

"Well, yeah. He tried to drug me." Sakura watched as one of the cops began to attach a "do not enter" yellow tape across the elevator door.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous this was? You could have gotten killed!" Touya was practically yelling at her now.

Several cops stopped in their tracks.

Sakura heard a whimper next to her. She glared at Tomoyo.

_Thanks for calling him. _

She knew Tomoyo had her best interests at heart, but sometimes those "best interests" fueled idiotic actions. Like calling Touya in the middle of the night to the club. Where there were serial rapists. And his stolen car.

"But I didn't. Look, I caught the killers. I rescued assholes out of this elevator. And I'm not even drunk. What's the big deal?" Sakura defiantly glared at Touya, "Stop treating me like a child!"

The entire floor went silent.

Touya exchanged a glance with one of the veteran cops and nodded.

"Now, let's get out of here."

XOXO

"I'm fine Mark. It's just a little bruise." Syaoran shoved his best friend's hand away as Mark attempted to apply some ointment on his right forearm.

"What were you thinking?! Going off alone like that! Do you realize how dangerous this was? You could have been killed!" Mark was fuming. His nostrils, flaring as he spoke, were slightly red from the explosion.

Syaoran reached for the beer bottle, but Mark slid the bottle out of reach.

"You're going to take some meds. You're not allowed to drink right now." Mark pointed a finger at him, "and if I catch you anywhere near a hard drink, you will have hell to pay."

Syaoran stared at him with a glazed expression, "What are you gonna do otherwise?"

Mark crossed his arms, "I'm going to tell Madame Li."

That shut Syaoran up.

But he mumbled, not wanting to look too weak, "She's gonna read about it in the papers anyways."

He stared out the window and watched the slight drizzle envelope the city in a hazy glow.

"That may be, but she'll be furious if she learned you were mixing meds and alcohol."

Syaoran raised his glass of water and meds in mock salute, "Fair enough." He then proceeded to gulp both down.

Mark sat down at the desk and began to plan the next day's schedule.

"Tomorrow we shall leave home bound."

He began to scribble some information down on the notepad.

Syaoran began to feel the drugs take over his senses, almost blurring them completely. He felt drowsy, but wasn't able to sleep. The events from a few hours ago continued to flash through his mind.

One thing in particular continued to invade his thoughts.

_That girl... And her knickers._

He felt himself redden again. He knew in that moment, he had felt attracted to her. It was purely physical, driven by purely hormonal needs. He lusted for her in that moment.

It wasn't like he had lusted like that for a stranger before. Of course, there was that one moment (in his case, several) that every individual had undergone: the weakness of envisioning a complete stranger, completely naked.

However, this time it was different.

His wife had just been murdered. It was glossed over as a drug overdose, Mark and mother had cleaned it all up quite nicely, but he knew he truth.

It was by his neglect that she had died.

And now he was fantasizing about a prostitute.

Oh lord, he needed help.

"Can't sleep." He listlessly remarked to Mark, "Entertain me."

Mark rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn, "I'm not your slave Syaoran."

Syaoran dryly retorted, "You're my friend. That's close enough."

"Want me to read the midnight post?"

Syaoran sighed in response.

Mark shook his head. "I'll take that as a yes."

He picket up the midnight post the bellboy had just left a few minutes prior and began to shuffle through the papers.

Pondering his thought aloud, Mark began to mumble, "Well of course the elevator incident is in here...and the club got free publicity from that...hmmm, I'm starting to wonder if it was a ploy?"

Mark continued down the page, "Umhmm...wait, what?"

Syaoran, who had been dreading this moment, slowly sat up, "I can explain about the prostitute."

Mark looked up from the newspaper and donned a look of disbelief, "What are you talking about?"

Syaoran nodded his head and waved his hands as he spoke, "oh, so they probably listed her as a stripper then. Go on, what did they write?"

Mark immediately rushed towards Syaoran and checked his temperature, "Are you alright buddy?"

Syaoran flicked the hand away, "I'm fine! What's going on?!"

Mark handed him the newspaper. "You tell me."

With his head pounding from all the annoyances, he snatched the newspaper and skimmed the area Mark directed him towards.

**Date Rapists caught at inauguration of new club! **

…**police had received an anonymous tip and had followed up on it. The suspects, Assex and Jagger Hamilton, are two brothers who have left a string of victims across America. Their memo consists of befriending females online via dating websites and then proceeding to drug their victims. One of them was apprehended in the infamous elevator incident concerning Syaoran Li (see above). Representatives of Syaoran Li have yet to comment on the issue. Meanwhile, the suspects are complaining of a vicious setup plan. However, the DNA evidence proves contrary to their allegations. This will hopefully bring some level of solace to the victims who have been so horribly scarred by these incidents. Experts estimate that they are surely to receive life imprisonment. More updates in the morning edition. Stay tuned!**

Syaoran was left gaping. He reread the horribly and hastily written article only to realize that this was in fact true.

"Holy shit. I had no clue." Syaoran ran his hand trough his hair and opened his mouth a couple I times, but no words came out.

Mark heaved a great sigh and shook his head, "Thank goodness you're not a woman."

Mark immediately took out his phone and began to alert the agents on what to say.

Syaoran, meanwhile, was puzzled, and dare he say it, somewhat concerned?

_She was with him._

Mark terminated the call and looked forward to see his buddy deep in thought.

"What were you saying about the prostitute?"

Syaoran narrowed his eyes in frustration, "This doesn't make any sense. There was somebody else with us in that elevator. She was his date!"

Mark shook his head slowly, "Nobody else came out of that elevator besides you and that guy. Are you sure your head feels fine?"

Syaoran began to shout, "I know I saw her! I'm not imagining this!"

Mark was beginning to look worried. "Look the paparazzi took several pictures of the incident and nothing."

To prove his point, he opened a Manila envelope and displayed the photos for Syaoran to see.

(Fun fact: celebrities have most of the publishing agents in their pocket, so the pictures are almost always approved of.)

Syaoran couldn't believe it. The photos contained no trace of her. He flipped photo after photo, but nada.

"This is impossible," he muttered the statement to himself.

He frantically looked up, "The cameras?"

Mark frowned, "The police has access to those. And since there is an investigation going on, I think it will be difficult to access those right now."

Syaoran pounded his fist on the table, " I want those as soon as possible."

Mark nodded and exited the room.

Syaoran suspected he was calling the doctor to ask about any side effects to the medication or hallucinations regarding the traumatic incident.

Syaoran bitterly laughed to himself. His whole life was a fucking traumatic experience.

He went to lie in bed and pulled the covers over himself.

Suddenly he realized something.

_She has my jacket..._

_So she does exist._

The thought of that brought a smile to his lips as he drifted off to sleep. He wasn't crazy.

XOXO

"You stole my car." Touya's voice was on the brink of erupting once again. However, it contained a level of calmness, which Sakura found quite dangerous.

"Technically, I borrowed it. I planned on returning it you know."

Sakura nudged Tomoyo, who bobbed her head dutifully.

That was the least she could do, since she did rat them out.

"Yet borrowing implies a concept of consent, which you obviously did not receive when you decided to nick the keys from my room."

Touya crossed his arms and frowned in disapproval at both of them. He rolled his eyes as he realized they were shivering from the brisk autumn air of October.

"Just get in the car."

Giving each other an apprehensive look, Sakura and Tomoyo eagerly boarded inside the car.

Touya entered the car and clipped his seatbelt.

He turned around and commanded, "You put yours on too."

Sakura crossed her arms, "We're not five years old Touya. The law allows us not to wear one."

Touya raised an eyebrow, "The law also allows me to arrest thieves. Now, I don't think you want to begin this game little sister. You have five seconds."

Sakura opened her mouth to retort, but Tomoyo clamped it shut. "Hehe, there's no need for that."

She motioned for Sakura to put on her seatbelt. Sakura pushed Tomoyo's hand away and grumpily pulls at the seatbelt.

"It's good to follow directions, litte imp."

Sakura imagined the snug smile that was plastered across Touya's face right now. God, she hated it when he chastised her.

The fast whizzing of the streetlights made her realize that the car was going at a rapid speed. She glanced ahead to see Touya rapidly scrolling down his smartphone. Of course, he chose a car that could drive itself. As if humans weren't lazy before.

"Soooo, whatcha doin' there?" Sakura knew he hate being interrupted. Which is precisely the reason why she interrupted him.

He continued scrolling and responded without looking up, "New details on a developing case."

Sakura shifted closer so that her face was close to the phone. She saw a recurring name._ Li. _

She could also tell this was urgent because the tip of his phone was blinking red.

Touya hastily slipped the phone out of sight, but it was too late.

"You're not taking the case, right Touya?" Sakura's voice contained notes of hysteria and accusation.

Touya remained stoic and silent.

Tomoyo darted her eyes between both parties, trying to understand the situation.

"What case are you guys talking about?"

Sakura shook her head rapidly, "No. No, I won't let you take the Li Empire case. I won't!"

Touya reached out to comfort her, "Sakura, I have to. There's no other option available. The committee has promoted this case to the red alert, especially due to the incident tonight."

Sakura pushed his hand away and began to tremble slightly. Tears began to well up within her eyes. They ran down, like streaks of tar, as she furiously vented her emotions,

"I don't care! I can't lose another person right now. I'm not strong enough for that."

Tomoyo placed a reassuring arm around Sakura.

"Touya, you promised."

"I don't keep my promises Tomoyo. You of all people should be well aware of that. "

A dark shadow passed over Tomoyo's eyes. She turned her eyes away as tears trickled down her face.

She quietly told herself, _"I Know."_

Sakura who has witnessed this odd exchange, made a mental note to discover the reason for it.

For the remainder of the trip, no words were spoken, only the slight tittering of the rain as it brought to life, the melancholy of the car's inhabitants.

XOXO

She's slipped it ever so quietly, ever so discretely. Nobody heard a thing. Nobody saw anything. The only indication of her act was her heart, thumping rapidly and erratically.

She took a deep breath. She had to do this.

She finished mixing the last cup. Placing it on the holder, she began walking towards the living room.

"Hot chocolate!" Sakura brightly announced as she handed the cups to Touya and Tomoyo.

Touya picked up his cup and peered at the contents suspiciously.

"I poisoned it Touya," Sakura rolled her eyes, "you can be so thick sometimes."

Touya took a tentative sip. " One can never be too sure."

Tomoyo drank her cup with much enthusiasm, "ohhhh, Sakura! I love peppermint!"

Sakura picked up the red-colored cup she had specifically differentiated for herself.

She lifted the cup up. " I just want to say sorry for overreacting before. I know you have no choice Touya. Cheers for good luck."

They all clinked their cups together and took a sip of the warming goodness.

They all glanced at one another awkwardly.

Tomoyo cleared her throat, "So, what do you reckon is going to happen to the Hamilton brothers?"

Sakura tutted, " I was trying to enjoy my drink Tomoyo."

Touya pondered upon the question. Taking a long sip, he answered, " They're most likely going to receive life imprisonment based on charges of fraud, charges of rape and battery. Will not receive parole."

Tomoyo clutched her chest in relief," Thank goodness they got caught."

Sakura nodded her head, "it's a good thing we went there last night."

Touya stared at Sakura with an odd expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" Sakura consciously fixed her hair.

"You're not afraid."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, "There's no need for me to. I know how to take care of myself."

"You have to realize the repercussions of your actions Sakura. You could have been _seen. _And you know the number one rule, actually the most important rule, is to not be seen. Thank goodness Jerry was there to handle to paparazzi."

Sakura defiantly raised her head, " I saved lives Touya. If we hadn't gone tonight, it would have been someone else. My only regret is saving his sorry ass in the elevator."

Touya reprimanded, "Don't try to play the reaper. We try to save lives, not take them."

Sakura ignored him and added, "Actually scratch that. Both their asses."

Touya sighed. She would never learn.

Tomoyo interjected, "Who else did you save?"

Sakura turned towards Tomoyo, "didn't you see him? He was probably acting all high and mighty with his sunglasses. It was that driver. I can't believe my luck. Ran into him for like the third time."

Tomoyo shook her head; " I was with the police that time. I wasn't allowed near the elevator. But that's crazy. Maybe fate is trying to tell you something."

Sakura cracked her knuckles, "yeah, that the world is full of pompous fools? I know that already."

Touya quietly sipped his drink. He felt the details of that matter should remain private.

Sakura began to clear away the evidence of their twilight hot chocolate event. As she picked up the glasses she stated, "I just hope I never see him again."

Tomoyo tried to stifle a smile, "and what if you do?"

Sakura picked up the tray, "He'll have my fist to answer for."

As she departed for the kitchen area, Touya and Tomoyo exchanged silent but humoresque glances.

Suddenly, they began to feel extremely sluggish. They both fought the urge to close their eyes, but their body counteracted their efforts.

XOXO

Sakura washed the dishes a second time to allow the drug to heighten its effects.

She knew she only had a few hours to accomplish the task so she rapidly began to prepare.

First, she checked to see if Touya and Tomoyo were indeed passed out. After confirming the fact, from Touya's monstrous snores and Tomoyo's slight sleepy mumbling; she placed a blanket on each of them.

She then snatched Touya's phone and properly read the details of the case.

**Red alert: Attempts of murder made on Li family. **

**Tara Li brutally murdered. (Click here to view autopsy photos and details). GRAPHIC.**

**Fire at mansion. (Details). Suspicious.**

**Profile of family. (Link).**

**Profile of staff. (Link).**

**Senior Li disappearance investigation. (Link)**

**Agent required to investigate matter as soon as possible. **

**Board of corporations voted unanimously to give case top priority.**

**Initiate.**

Sakura hesitated. If she pressed that red initiate link there would be no going back. Looking at the screen again, she saw that five people had been assigned to this case.

Five people over a decade.

All of them had been obliterated from existence. This was dangerous. This wasn't going to be easy. She was probably breaking hundreds of rules right about now. Not to mention the dire consequences. Suspension. Or even death.

Death.

Derek immediately came to mind. His mangled body flashed in her mind. Snippets of her wedding day clouded her thoughts.

_Did he even care about me? Why would he do this to me? _

Sakura wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, but she felt so empty.

_Did I even love him?_

_No._

"Yes I do! I do love him. I'm doing this for him." Sakura chastised herself and began to tremble.

She tapped the button.

A few options came up. Long gone were the days where you actually talked to your initiator. There was certainly a barrier in communications. The only thing connecting them was this device and millions of invisible waves.

Assign case to: Agent X. check.

Undercover profession: maid, governess, and gardener.

She wrinkled her nose at the options.

The only one that seems plausible to gain any insight was the governess.

It was just her luck that the position was recently vacated.

Undercover profession: Governess. Check.

Equipment required: basic. Army-style. Personalized. Lightweight.

She never liked the package plans. She always chose personalized. Especially since she was going to be around children.

Equipment required: Personalized:

Infrared glasses. (Allows user to see at night and behind walls. Caution: Do not view at people directly as what is seen cannot be unseen.)

Stun pen. (Just open the cap and out squirts out a tar-like substance that immediately stuns object at whom pointed. Caution: Avoid eye area as may cause blindness.)

Bombastic bubble gum. (Chew twice and spit out. Blows like a bomb. Caution: Do not mix with regular gum.)

Pink shimmer powder: Allows user to attract to any hard surface. Can use to climb walls. Caution: May lose effect on weather-altered surfaces. Sparky residue may stain fingertips.

Specialized id: Allows user to access any door or system. Caution: Remember assigned name!

Governess wardrobe (Autumn and Winter edition): Includes several blouses, skirts, dresses and pants. One puffy overcoat. Boots and dress shoes. Scarves. Caution: Tomoyo Daidouji creation.

Sakura asked Touya to place a caution on every wardrobe pakage. Especially hers.

She clicked a few weapons, most of them concealed as everyday objects, and clicked done for accessories.

Next, she booked a flight for Hong Kong, which was set to leave in a few hours. She chose first class, just because Touya was paying for the ticket.

Transferring all the information to her iPhone, she delicately placed Touya's iPhone near his hand.

XOXO

Upstairs, she began to stuff her personal effects into a burgundy colored suitcase.

She shuffled around the room and knocked a few things over in attempt to find some specific items. She realized her room was a colossal mess.

She hadn't cleaned it in weeks. She purposely ignored the side that contained the wedding dress. It was still in tatters, still dirty and still somber. It held too many painful memories.

She chose to bring her mother's wedding diadem with her. It was the closest thing she had of her mothers'. It offered her a living memory. She was with her mother, through the diadem.

She nimbly caressed the edges of the fine detail before wrapping it in a shirt and placing it the suitcase.

Quickly, she stripped herself of her nightclothes and donned a causal pair of gray skinny jeans and paired it with a black sweatshirt that had an embellished gold heart on the front. She polished the look with a high ponytail and natural makeup. It looked like she had put nothing on, but that was the point of au naturalle. It just made her feel covered.

Besides, her entire life was based on the guise of a cover. Makeup in that sense was her extension.

She zipped up the suitcase and sweeper the room for a final look. Her eyes caught the jacket the "driver" had given to her.

She picked it up and did the oddest thing. She took a whiff.

Uh.

She liked it.

She began to inhale the scent embodying each fiber of the jacket.

She hated to admit it, but that bastard "driver" smelled amazing.

She contemplated leaving the jacket.

_But it smells delicious. Like musky caramel with a dark aftertaste._

_But it's his. You should throw it out._

She finally chose to keep it after checking the label. Made in France.

She figured it would give her a good chuckle reminding her of the elevator incident.

She put the jacket on and hugged herself. It was baggy, but she felt warm.

She felt comforted.

XXXX

A/N: thought I would end both of their scenes with this notion of the jacket. Honestly, this one is more of a transition, but it brings to light a lot of troubling facts about each character. As for Sakura drugging her brother and friend, that's my homage to Sakura and using the sleep card in the show. Honestly, I fell in love with the concept of magic cards and elements. And of course Sakura and Syaoran's relationship! But I vamped up Sakura's character a bit because I found her kinda wimpy in the show (at some points). Just sayin'. But I love her anyways.

Next chapter will deal with Sakura finally beginning her mission.

Until next time,

Serendipitousloveaffair

P.s. Don't forget to leave a review!


	11. The Death of White Chocolate

Chapter 11: The Death of White Chocolate

"Passengers of flight number five hundred and seventy four please board the plane. The flight will take off in ten minutes." The voice of the flight dispatcher was cool and smooth.

She was probably sitting on her comfy chair in a well-heated room at a higher level in the airport, ignorant of the reverberations of the effect her voice possessed. The airport, though heated, was only mildly warm as doors continued to open and close.

Sakura glanced at the various scenarios occurring around her.

A balding and slightly portly middle-aged man was awkwardly hugging his frail mother. The mother wouldn't let go of him.

She continued walking and saw a couple passionately kissing without a care in the world. She saw onlookers look appalled at such an out gross show of affection, but Sakura knew half of them secretly yearned to be kissed like that.

Herself included. But romance was a far cry from her mind right now. In fact, she wasn't even sure she possessed the courage to invest in another relationship. She unconsciously wrapped the jacket around herself even tighter.

In one corner, an entire family was bringing their several bags towards a disgruntled worker for check-in.

In another, she saw a woman secretly stuff some gift bags into her friend's bag. Sakura could just imagine the surprised look on the friend's face.

As she gazed around, she realized that she loved the airport. It was the best place to observe human behavior. It was the place of hellos and goodbyes. A literal limbo of opposites. The ambiance made her feel as if she was a part of something bigger. As if she was not the only one that existed.

As she boarded the plane and took her seat by the window, she felt her nerves dancing on a thin tightrope. Hopefully she wouldn't fuck this up.

A well-rehearsed voice released her from her worries with a delectable offer, "A chocolate spritzer?"

Sakura looked up to see the airhostess flashing her a million dollar smile. They always picked the prettiest out of the bunch. She also saw a cart full of various goodies ranging from white chocolate truffles to caramel apples.

"Umhmm!" She reached for the glass enthusiastically, "Actually never tried one of these before! Thank you!"

The airhostess beamed at her, " Would you like anything else?"

Sakura began to closely inspect the cart.

"White truffles here." A voice behind her called the command out in a haughty sort of tone. It seemed mildly familiar.

The hostess bit her lip and blushed a bit, " Just a moment sir."

Sakura grinned at the hostess apologetically, " Sorry, just so many choices."

The hostess smiled, but Sakura detected a hint of nervousness in her eyes.

She could tell the hostess just wanted to her to choose already. Especially since the hostess kept on looking back.

Not exactly subtle.

Sakura quickly picked up a bowl of white chocolate truffles and thanked the hostess. She really wanted to check out the hunk the hostess was so flustered over.

But first...

She took a healthy spoonful of the truffle and jammed it into her mouth.

Pure heaven.

She was such a glutton for desserts. And white chocolate was her favorite. She had once finished an entire bowl of white chocolate pudding in an hour.

Okay, maybe she had thrown up after that. But, it was all worth it.

She jammed another spoonful without finishing the first one. It just melted in her mouth so delightfully.

"Mhmmmhmm. So good."

Sakura hadn't realized she was moaning her thoughts aloud until the hostess circled back and politely asked her to lower her voice.

Sakura slowly nodded her head and held her spoon up as her form of an apology. She didn't want to let any of the heavenly goodness escape from her mouth.

"Is this what I'm paying for? I could have rented a porno if I wanted to hear sighs like that. People these days." It didn't seem possible, but the voice seemed even haughtier.

The bastard.

Sakura narrowed her eyebrows and clenched her spoon. She felt everyone's eyes fall on her. Her cheeks reddened with embarrassment.

_How dare he. Like he never ate chocolate before._

She peered over her chair to give the man a piece of her mind. Nobody was going to insult her and get away with it.

"Oi!" She quickly flung a piece of her white chocolate truffle at the man. She noticed he had a companion seated next to him, but she was confident of her aim.

However, what she failed to realize at that moment, was how familiar the man's face was.

Until it was too late.

"Oh shit."

She quickly turned back to her seating position and covered her face with her jacket.

_Oh holyshitfuck. It's that sissy driver-elevator dude. And I just threw white chocolate at his face..._

_Is the universe trying to torture me?_

_It can't be just a coincidence. Maybe I'm paying for my past lives' sins. _

…_Or for drugging my family._

She began to tug at the jacket tighter as if it would shield her from this volcanic fiasco.

_...oh no, I'm covering my face with his jacket!_

XOXO

"...people these days."

Syaoran shook his head as he expressed his disdain for the highly suggestive sighs coming from the seat in front of his.

"This is why I usually fly on a private jet. But, no. It conveniently had to break down today. This is so middle class."

Syaoran tucked the cloth into his designer shirt as he began to prepare for his consumption of the truffles.

He had just picked up his spoon, however, when out of nowhere, he was bombarded with a fresh helping of truffles on his face. It hit his forehead, squarely in the middle.

His hands had automatically come up of their own accord, but they were too late.

The damage was now dripping down his face, like mud sliding down a hill.

Some of it escaped on his lips. And when he opened his mouth a little, he tasted the fluffy goodness and he immediately softened.

It was like a white chocolate wonderland in his mouth.

But that was beside the point.

He saw Mark lift a hand in his direction. Assuming that Mark was going to clean his cheek, he projected his face forward.

Mark lifted a finger…and wiped some of the truffle off. He then licked his finger.

"Good stuff. My regards to the pastier."

Mark winked at the airhostess who was absolutely terrified. She was literally shaking, from head to toe, with the cart shaking as well, from her tight grip.

Syaoran emitted a large growl and swept the plate of truffles onto the floor. The truffles skidded across the expensive carpet, leaving behind a trail of gloppy white chocolate.

The hostess immediately rushed over to Syaoran and began to wipe the mess off with several napkins.

"I am so sorry sir. I-I-I'll try to fix this."

Without uttering a syllable, Syaoran made his position quite clear when he took the hostess's hands and pushed them away.

In a quiet voice, he uttered, "Fix this? How can you do that? I bet you can't even afford dry cleaning my tie."

The airhostess looked like a mess as her mascara began to stream down her face. Mixed with the effect of the rest of her makeup, she looked like a juvenile joker.

"I'll do anything to fix this for you sir." She pleaded with Syaoran and folded her hands, "Anything."

Syaoran raised an eyebrow and uncrossed his legs. He leaned forward and smirked.

"Alright. I'll forgive your mistake-"

The hostess began to smile.

"If you lick some of it off my shoes."

The smile immediately disappeared as she glanced down at his designer shoes, which were slightly soiled with the truffles.

Light gasps were heard from every corner of the first class cabin.

Her voice trembled as she spoke, "But sir-"

"Fine. You'll probably get fired. I don't give a shit. It's your choice."

Mark shook his head in disappointment. There was no use in persuading Syaoran once he had made a decision. He turned away from the scene to look out the window. Out there he saw a storm approaching, with its tumultuous gray clouds.

Syaoran looked at her expectantly, waiting for the reply.

The airhostess stood for a few seconds and contemplated on her future. She knew both ends of the stick would be catastrophic, but one still involved some prospect than the other. Forsaking all dignity, she made a movement to bow down.

But somebody stopped her. She looked up to see the same girl who had started this mess.

"You don't have to bow down to anyone. This is my fault. You shouldn't take the fall for it. I'm sorry."

Sakura went to stand in front of the airhostess and came face-to-face with a man she had she had seen all too often these past two days.

"You!" Syaoran Li abruptly stood up.

Sakura crossed her arms, "Yup, me."

"Are you stalking me or something? And what the bloody hell is this!" Syaoran, seething with rage, pointed at his face, "Do you get some sick pleasure out of harassing me?"

Sakura tossed her hair over her shoulder, "Pffft. As if. You give yourself too much credit. And that abominable mess," Sakura stepped closer and tugged at his jacket, "Is retaliation for insulting me."

She pushed him down.

Suspended by disbelief, Syaoran remained immobile. Even his tongue was petrified.

Sakura picked up a new bowl of truffled from the cart.

"Now apologize for being so rude."

Syaoran snorted and turned his face the other way, "You're hilarious."

Sakura raised her shoulders, "Well I did give you a chance. Oh well."

Taking the bowl with two hands, she poured the gloppy, syrupy and cream-white truffle balls all over the bastard.

Mark, who had been surprised by this turn of events, just stared at the gutsy woman with eyes and mouth, wide open, "Holy shit."

Sakura placed the bowl back on the cart and placed both hands on her hips.

She admired her handiwork, "I think that looks quite artistic. Don't you think, _frosty_?"

She began to madly giggle. He just looked so funny.

Syaoran Li had never _ever_ felt so puny in his life before. Sure, there were times where he had lost, usually to his kids, but this time, a woman had just bested him.

Not just any woman, but a woman he despised beyond all others, from the core of his being.

As he saw her laughing, with her cheeks cherry-red and her eyes glittering with happy tears, he knew, for a fact, that she was the epitome of hate in his life.

_I will destroy you._

"You went too far." Syaoran made a movement to take off his shades, but the plane took a turbulent turn.

The pilot of the plane interrupted, "Passengers, we are experiencing slight turbulence as we pass through a thunderstorm. We request all the airhostesses to take a seat and make sure that all passengers are to remain seated until other wise noted. Thank you."

Immediately, a flight attendant entered the cabin and did a double take.

"What on earth? Jane, what is this mess?" The matronly-looking attendant shook her head in disapproval, "This is unacceptable."

Poor Jane tried to explain herself, but the attendant cut her off, "I will hear none of it. Right now I want everyone seated. And that includes you. Now come on."

She ushered Jane to sit towards the back of the cabin. The attendant made movement to sit as well, but she saw that one of the passengers was not yet seated.

"May I help you, young man?"

Syaoran wiped some of the truffles off his face, "Yes. Can I get a knife?"

The attendant gasped and put a hand over her mouth.

Mark figuratively smacked his forehead, "He's just feeling a bit nauseous. You know, first time flying. He, he."

He quietly got up and seated Syaoran. He smiled at the attendant until she tentatively went towards the back of the cabin.

Once she was out of earshot, Mark let loose on Syaoran. (In whispers of course.)

"Are you crazy?! They could arrest us for that statement. Just think sometimes Syaoran. Think. Please. For both our sakes"

Mark began to wipe some of the truffles with his handkerchief, "Ohh, this is really thick stuff."

Syaoran gritted his teeth and began to wipe his jacket, "Thanks for helping me out, _buddy_."

"Hey! I didn't know that was going to happen," Mark looked at the seats in front of theirs, "She sure has some balls. No pun intended."

Syaoran breathed heavily through his nose, "Just wait until I get my hands on her. She'll regret ever being born."

Mark couldn't help stifle a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Syaoran gruffly threw the napkin aside.

"I've never seen you so worked over a woman before." Mark shook his head, "Makes you seem more human."

Syaoran rolled his eyes, "Please. She's not worth my time."

"I never said any-"

"Shutup Mark."

"Okay." Mark smiled to himself as he saw Syaoran continue to wipe the mess and stare at the woman, all while hissing curses under his breath.

"I'll show her frosty."

He looked at the auburn-haired woman once more.

There was just something about her. Something positively alluring.

XOXO

Sakura was not one to regret her decisions. After all, she usually thought them through- Not.

They were usually rash, but in the end, totally justifiable.

And that man was just asking for it.

She hadn't meant to cause a scene, but she couldn't help herself.

She couldn't idly stand by as she watched a man harass people with words. She just couldn't.

And now she was dreading the consequences.

_Oh Sakura. You really need to control yourself. And now you're in deep crap._

The turbulence didn't help. She clutched the handles of her seat as the plane continued to juggle through the clouds. She felt her stomach turn.

Neither did the scent of his jacket, which continued to intoxicate her.

_How could a man like that smell so good?_

She silently berated herself for continuing to cling to the jacket. She couldn't bring herself to throw it back at him.

The next hour, needless to say, was the longest hour of her life. She tried to avert her concentration by reading the case files, but that did nothing to appease her. She had barely skimmed the first sentence.

The pilot's voice echoed through the loudspeaker, "The plane will be landing shortly. Passengers, please prepare to gather your belongings and follow the directions of the attendants. Thank you and have a nice day."

Sakura quickly gathered her bag and waited for the flight attendants to come around. When one of them passed by, Sakura made a gesture and the attendant approached her.

"How may I help you?"

Sakura whispered something into her ear and the attendant perked up.

"Oh, I see. He does seem crazy in the head. " The attendant gave her a wink and walked away as the flight was beginning to land.

A few moments later, the attendants were directing the passengers out of the plane. First class as always, went first.

Syaoran Li, who was quietly biding his time, was elated at the chance to avenge. He briskly got up and made his way towards the front seat, but he was stopped in his tracks by a flight attendant. The same one he had asked a knife from.

"Excuse me, sir, but you need to take a seat."

Syaoran refused to sit down, "I don't think you know who I am."

The attendant was not pleased, "Security!"

Apparently Syaoran Li had said the wrong thing.

XOXO

Sakura, pleased with her little trick, gleefully exited the plane.

The old my ex is stalking me card worked wonders on the ladies.

She claimed her baggage and skipped her way across the airport. When she set her eyes upon the Hong Kong metropolis, she beamed.

"Taxi!"

_Here I come, Syaoran Li._

A/N: The scene was loosely inspired by the scene in Boys over Flowers, which is by far, my favorite Korean Drama. Ever. Seriously, I had a phase, where I wouldn't stop watching it. I'm sure all of us have had that one drama in our lives. (Or several for that matter). And a very Happy Valentine's Day to ya'll. I know it's a commercially overblown holiday, but its still an opportunity to eat chocolates without feeling guilty! Hopefully the next chapter will be up in a few days (*wink wink* Reviews will help) and the story will finally be on track from where it was before the rewrite.

Till next time,

3 Serendipitousloveaffair


	12. Of Mud and Truths

Chapter 12: Of Mud and Truths

"Here we are ma'am. This is the farthest they'll allow me to go." The cab driver's voice was extremely hoarse and gruff. From the sickly smoky scent that was adrift in the cab, Sakura guessed it was due to the effects of cigarettes.

She rummaged through her bag for her wallet.

"So," said the driver, attempting to make conversation while she searched, "What brings you to this side of town? Not the new governess, are you?"

Sakura found the wallet. She took her card out, her "undercover card" which was filled with a certain amount of money, and swiped the credit card machine that was installed in the backseat.

Sakura lifted an eyebrow, "That was an extremely lucky guess."

The cab driver belched and began to chuckle, "That's all that comes and goes around here, the governesses. The stories I've heard..."

Sakura's eyes widened. This was a chance to get an exterior perspective on the family. Perhaps a layered one. Of course, once inside she would have to deal with gathering information in a sky manner.

"What have you heard?" She tried to disguise the shrillness of her voice by speaking in a low tone.

"I hear the children are monsters. Don't blame 'em though. If my mother had tried to kill me, I would be scarred for life. And they're so young! Pity, these rich folk know nothing about family. Only one thing speaks to them: the moola!"

"She tried to _kill them?" _

The driver, usually oppressed by the conduct of silent driving, let loose with his tongue, "She tried to burn them. Luckily Syaoran Li came at the right moment. Or else, they would've been dead. Aye, I believe it was the ghost of fame that went to her head. Power drives you crazy. And losing it just destroys you."

Sounded like something he had read straight out of the newspaper.

The driver scratched his forehead," And I beg your pardon for sayin' so, but I don't believe her death was a drug overdose. I think the family killed her."

Sakura slowly nodded her head. She was stumped by his plethora of information. It was helpful, no doubt. She mentally give him a cookie for the information. When the ten-minute warning alarm on her phone went off, she realized she had to leave ASAP.

She quickly exited the cab before she was delayed any further, "Thank you."

The cab driver winked at her, "You take care of yourself now. Hopefully I won't see you too soon."

Sakura gave him a tight smile and turned towards the domineering black gates of the Li estate. The gate was a heavy titanium design, with pointy spikes at the top. It was normal of large estates.

What caught her interest, however, was the barbed wire that was layered across the top and enclosed around the estate. With the added effect of the whitewashed stone walls, Sakura felt as if she were entering a prison.

She headed towards the solitary booth near the edge of the right gate. She saw a lone security man with his legs propped up on the table and reading the morning news. Or rather, doing the crossword of the day. She saw he was deeply concentrated and jiggling the pen with his finger.

Sakura lightly tapped the glass window, "Excuse me. Can you open the gates for me?, I'm here for the governess position."

The man quickly placed the newspaper down on the desk.

Pushing his oversized glasses upto the tip of his nose, he yawned. The glasses only magnified his bored demeanor.

"ID."

Sakura pulled the card out and slid it under the glass barrier.

As he scanned and verified the information, Sakura peeked beyond the gates and saw the outline of several buildings. But the heavy fog drifting through the trees, obscured most the buildings.

The man handed her the card and pressed a precariously placed red button. There was a loud buzzing sound and the clang of metal as the gates opened. The considerable creakiness of the gates made her question how often they were open.

"Thank you so much."

Sakura nervously tugged at her jacket and began her walk, down what seemed like the yellow brick road. Except this was no Oz. And no red slippers would take her home. She didn't know what lied at the end of this journey, but she had a gut feeling it would be a rough one.

As she walked down the pathway, covered with the various hues of the autumn season, she saw that the estate was covered in various species of trees. From apple To Japanese Maple, the estate served as a national park of trees. The aroma was delectable, as she smelt the ripe apples, which lay plump and full, upon the branch.

The atmosphere was serene. Coupled with the thick fog, it seemed as if she had stepped into a forbidden garden.

_I could spend an eternity here._

But reality pulled her back down.

When the five-minute warning sounded from her phone, she made a run for it, insinuating that the large mansion at the end of the eternal pathway was her destination.

XOXO

The sudden activation of the sprinklers had, needless to say, dampened her arrival.

She was left with no choice but to continue running if she wanted to make it on time.

And she did. But just at the dot of 11.

She out reached a hand to knock on the red mahogany doors, but as if her arrival were anticipated, the doors before her knuckles made contact.

An elderly man stepped out. Dressed in the combination of a black suit, white shirt, and a bow tie, Sakura guessed this was the head butler.

He bowed slightly, "Butler Wei at your service."

Sakura grabbed his hand and shook it eagerly, " Hi Wei! I'm Sakura Kinomoto, here for the governess position."

Seeming a bit dazed by the handshake, he twisted his arm a bit before regaining his former stance. "Ah, yes, of course. The late bloomer."

Sakura blushed a tinge of pink, "Sorry, it was a last minute decision."

Wei smile kindly at her, "We usually employ an interview process, which takes place outside the estate. Unfortunately, we are easily restricted by time and the lack, thereof."

Sakura nodded her head in approval, but her teeth began to chatter from the brisk October air. Water was still dripping from the sleeves of her jacket, which oddly, seemed to smell even better with the added effect of h2o.

When she looked up, she saw that Wei was surveying her appearance. He maintained a mask of composure so she couldn't tell if he disapproved or pitied her. Whatever the reaction, this was in no way professional.

_Nice going Sakura._

_"_I'm r-really..._chatter_... Sorry about this. I- _chatter... _Didn't expect the - _chatter_ -sprinklers."

Sakura tried to make out a coherent sentence, but she violently shook from the chillin effect of the water.

Wei took her by the shoulders and gently led her inside, "Come in child. We wouldn't want you to get sick on the day of your arrival."

Sakura, greatly appreciating the gesture, complied with Wei's direction.

When she entered the Li fortress, Sakura was blinded by the effect of hundreds of lights. Shieldig her eyes with her hand, she squinted up to see a morbidly extravagant chandelier, which she estimated, was atleast fifteen feet in height. It was separated into several layers, much like a cake, and seemed like something straight out of a Disney film. It served as a focal point for the emerald and cream magnolia carpeted staircase, which was strewn everywhere. Wei led her to one of the several sets of luxury sofas, which were scattered in each corner.

He motioned for her to sit, but Sakura hesitated.

"I don't want to ruin the sofa. You know, with me being drenched and all."

Wei nodded and called out for service, "Rita! Can you come down here with towels, please?"

Moments later, a demure-looking lady entered the room with towels in hand and some clothes in the other. Donning a bob cut, she looked younger than a woman in her twenties. She quickly handed the towels to Sakura and quickly checked her out.

"I saw what happend out the window," Rita began to explain, "So I figured you would need an extra change of clothes."

Sakura opened her mouth to thank her but she sneezed instead.

"Oh dear. You should change quickly. Then I will give you the grand tour."

Rita smiled at Sakura with a twinkle in her eye, "I've just never seen someone get attacked by sprinklers before."

Sakura reddened and laughed along, "Me either."

Rita turned to Wei, "I'll take her to her room right now."

Wei nodded and gestured towards the right staircase. He picked up her luggage and began to wheel it.

Sakura jogged ahead, in front Wei, and shook her hands, "please, you really don't have to so that. I'll do it myself."

"No need Ms. Kinomoto, it's my pleasure." He lifted her luggage with ease and began to walk up the stairs.

Sakura timidly walked behind Rita and Wei. It felt so bizarre to see someone carry her luggage. In her world, everyone carried his or her own weight. Or died.

With that grim thought, she was swept up the extravagant staircase and through a dimly lit hallway. It was of an old design, with a frayed yellowed wallpaper of a floral design. The carpeting was replaced by a worn old wooden floor, which creaked with their every step. She saw that there were small personal effects such as flowers on some doors for distinguishing between them. Which, Sakura realized, was absolutely necessary because the doors looked absolutely identical. Rita and Wei opened one of the doors near the end of the hallway and led her inside.

"This is your room. We've reserved one right next to the staircase leading to the children's room. Only a few select individuals have access to this passage."

Rita reached inside one of her dress pockets and pulled out a gleaming set of keys. She handed them to Sakura.

"Now you are one of these people."

Sakura gripped the keys and held them tight to her chest.

Rita and Wei made a motion to leave. Wei gave a look to Rita and disappeared down the hallway they had come from.

Rita stood there awkwardly for a moment. She then took Sakura's hand into one of her own, "please stay."

"I beg your pardon?"

But Rita was already headed out te door, "meet you downstairs in 20 minutes. Main hall."

In a matter of seconds, Sakura was left alone in a large room with only the company of silence.

That was odd.

She surveyed her surroundings and saw that the room was archaic; all the furniture was of a worn out wooden design, the curtains were a musty maroon and there was a wide window overlooking the gardens.

Opening the windows a slight crack, she swore she heard the echo of a waterfall.

Quickly, she began to change her clothes. The clothes were simplistic, yet elegant. She tugged her tights up to her waist, zipped up her pencil-skirt and slipped into her cream-colored blouse of ruffles. She quickly combed her wet hair with her fingers and allowed it to dry near the rusty heater.

Realizing she had fifteen minutes left, she placed her bags in the right corner of the room and looked at the wide set of key chains.

"It wouldn't hurt to see the kids right now."

Closing the door with the agility of a mouse, she turned to the large oak door that was to lead her to her "doom."

She giggled inwardly at the thought.

Monstrous five year olds? As if. This has got to be some kind of joke.

She picked one of they keys and turned the lock. It creaked open. She looked around and began her stealth up that stairs. Like the hallway, these were dimly lit as well, which made her ascent the much more difficult. These were twisted and winding stairs made out of limestone, which could easily split her cranium if she took one misstep.

Eventually she made it up, and opened an identical wooden door, which wasn't locked.

Bracing herself, she took a step forward.

XOXO

It was as if she had stepped into a completely different universe. The hallway was painted a neon pink hue, which have the effect of being stuck in bubblegum. The carpet was a plush cobalt blue, with various gold circles embedded. Colorful was an understatement.

The door leading to the bedroom was split in half, figuratively and literally. On one side, the door was painted a hot pink and on it hung a golden plaque of a crown, which stated "Sophia's room" in fancy cursive. The other side was a sky blue with a rocket plaque. "Neo's room" was written in bold block letters.

Sakura touched the plaques and opened the pink side to gain access into

the room.

She saw the kids on a ladder attempting to place a bucket full of mud over te doorway.

"Sophie! Push me more! She's gonna be here swoon."

Sakura watched, with her arms folded, as Sophia, dressed in a fairy costume, was pushing her brother up. But the ladder was only so tall. And Sophia could only push enough.

"Do you want me to help?"

Sakura stepped towards the children and smiled as Neo dropped the bucket of mud onto the floor. He looked completely and utterly shocked. As if she had stolen his lunchtime cookies. Sakura couldn't help notice how cute his chubby cheeks and hands looked. He looked even more adorable with his dinosaur overalls.

Sophia, on the other hand, just observed her with a curious expression. She looked like a sweet angel with roay cheeks and fair blue eyes. Her hair, in soft sweet ringlets, adorned her face in spirals. She began to suck her thumb.

Sakura stepped over the mess and was closer to the children.

Neo took a step back and stood in front of Sophia.

"What you want?"

Neo's voice was just as cute as him. She detected a slight stutter.

"It's a pity such a good bucket of mud is put to waste," Sakura shook her head, "what were you going to use it for?"

Neo lifted his chubby cheeks up with pride. He shrugged his shoulders and whispered furiously to Sophia, "Shhhh!"

Sophia in turn, nodded in the most innocent way possible. She averted her eyes from Sakura.

Sakura just smiled.

"Let's play a game then. A guessing game. I'll try to guess what you were going to use it for."

Sakura leaned down towards the children to hear their answer.

Neo crossed his arms as lifted one hand.

"Twee tries"

He could barely hold three digits up. He had to use his other hand to hold two fingers down.

Sakura suppressed a giggle. This was just too cute.

"Ok."

Sakura, with her hands behind her back began to pace back and forth.

"Hmm, let me think. What could a bucket of dirty, bug and bacteria infested mud be used for?"

From the corner of her eye, she saw the twins give each other wide smiles.

"How about feeding the pigs?"

Neo scrunched his face up, "from up there? You don't give pigs foods like that!

He began to wildly giggle.

"Awww drats! I guess I have to think harder."

Sakura made a dramatic gesture of sitting on the floor and slumping her head in thought.

She heard the twins come a little closer.

"I got it! You were going to take a mud bath!"

She brightly looked up at the twins, whom she saw were beginning to roll on the floor, in wild giggles.

"We's not dirty!" Sophia was snickering from behind one of her hands.

Neo crossed his arms in glee and gloated, "ha! Only one more guess!"

He held up a lone finger in front of her face and began hopping on one foot.

This kid was way too excited. Too bad she had to burst his bubble...

"I guess it possibly can't have been for the new governess to drive her away."

Neo stopped dancing midway and gazed at her with his mouth wide open. Sophia stopped sucking her thumb.

Sakura got up and walked towards the children.

Crouching down, she commented, "Pity, I really like mud."

The twins began to scream. No, more like screech their lungs out. It was as If they had seen a ghost.

Sakura just smirked in response. However, as the seconds went by and the screaming did not subside, she realized, with a dreaded feeling that the situation did not look too good for her. First, there was a pile of mud all over the floor. Second, she was in a room full of screaming twins. And third, she wasn't supposed to be here in the first place.

Quickly, she attempted to soothe the hysteric twins.

"Listen!"

The screaming ensued.

" I won't tell anybody! I promise."

The screaming ensued even further and transformed into screeching.

" I have chocolate."

The noise softened to a clearing of throats. Eventually, a soft buzzing sound sifted throughout the room.

"You pwomis?"

Sakura bent down with her hands on her knees, "I promise, Neo."

She ruffled his hair.

He pushed her away, "Don't touch me!"

Sakura shrugged her shoulders, "You're missing out then."

Neo harrumphed and turned away.

Sophia boldly stepped forward, "Mwissin what?"

"The magic touch."

"What's that?"

Sakura smiled, "I'll show you sweetie."

Sakura enveloped Sophia in a soft embrace. At first, there was tension, but eventually the ambiance became serene.

She felt Sophia melt like butter in her arms.

Sakura realized, with a wild and raw throbbing in her chest, that they must have never been hugged properly.

Busy was too soft a word for this situation. This was neglect. And from the mud event she had just survived, she knew that this was a regular occurrence. Not only did these children have no proper supervision, but also they were in a huge house full of empty love.

She just had to do something about this. The missions aside. She made a mental note to read the case files tonight. She needed to know who she was up against.

Sophia pulled away from the hug.

"That was magic?"

Sakura nodded.

Sophia smiled at her, "I like it."

Sakura patted her cheek lovingly, "I'm glad you do."

Neo, with a face red as a sun-ripe tomato, marched over to Sophia and pulled her away.

"You stay aways from us."

Sakura crossed her arms, "so you don't want the chocolate?"

Neo stomped his foot, "You pwomised you would."

Sakura bit her lip, "How can I do that if I can't be near you?"

Neo began to think. Sakura could tell he was thinking really hard because his forehead was all scrunched up in concentration and his hands were balled into fists, which sat stiffly at his sides.

Sakura wished she had brought her phone to take a picture.

Finally, Neo smiled and stepped forward.

"Deal."

He held out a hand.

He just looked so innocent and his hand were so cute and small.

Sakura shook it.

"But what did we deal on?"

Neo tutted, "Yous supposed to ask first."

He raised his head up high and donned a smug smile. A look that seemed very familiar. But she couldn't put her finger on who or what.

She realized with a start what she had just gotten into. Sakura mentally slapped herself for falling into a deal with a five year old. Now she wa obligated to hold something she had no clue about. And she always fulfilled her deals. Hopefully she didn't have to eat worms or something.

Sakura began to peer around the room. The ceiling was as if it was an open entrance to the sky, it was painted an azure blue with cotton candy blue and pink clouds. The effect was that of a sunset, her favorite time of the day. It was a romantic time, one of serenity and endings. As she scanned the sky, her eyes fell upon a clock in the middle of the room.

Speaking of endings, She was supposed to be downstairs five minutes ago.

Sakura quickly glanced at the twins, who were gazing at her with curious expressions.

She cleared her throat and slowly began to inch towards the door.

"So... I will...erm...see you later."

She carefully stepped over the mud and opened the door.

At the same time, somebody entered the room, slipped on the mud and landed back first onto the floor.

It all happened so fast, it seemed like it hadn't occurred at all.

Quickly, Sakura rushed to help the person.

She held out a hand.

The person grabbed it and forcefully dragged her down to the mud.

It was cold mud. And icky. Her lightweight clothes did little to prevent it seeping everywhere.

Seething, she looked towards the person who had done this.

"How dare you? I was trying to help and you...you"

"Well now you've become a chocolate truffle."

The voice...it couldn't be...

Sakura hastily pulled her hair out of her eyes to look at the soon-to-be-dead-man.

It was _him._

"What are you doing here? Are you following me?"

Sakura glared at him. He returned the gesture.

"I could ask you the same thing. And follow you? Please, give me a break."

He held up a hand.

Sakura attempted to get up, but her hands with slippery with mud.

"I'll have you know, I'm the new governess. And I was here to meet my protégées"

Sakura stated this with much pride. Haughty pride.

…And with as much pride as she could muster with sitting in mud. But she wasn't going to let the driver get one up on her.

"I assume you're here as the driver."

She patted his shoulder, she noticed her was wearing another expensive suit, and in the process of doing so, she smeared mud all over it.

He watched her with an indiscernible expression. It was a mix between amusement and bemusement and Sakura felt extremely uncomfortable underneath it. She still hadn't looked at him directly in the eye.

"You're really are clueless aren't you?"

"What are you talking about?"

Sakura looked away under the pretext of wiping mud off her legs. She couldn't watch him watching her.

Blatantly ignoring her pointed question, he lifted himself up with ease and began brushing off the mud. That only spread it all over the suit.

Sakura began to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"You're finally in an environment that reflects you, Mr. driver."

Sakura heard the twins giggling softly in the background.

His cheeks flushed a baby pink.

"I am not a driver. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"Then why are you here?"

He rolled his eyes, "I don't have to explain anything to you."

He reached out a hand and Sakura stared at it with shock.

This man was actually offering a hand? Was the world going to end today?

Sakura reached for the hand and he clutched it tightly. She was dangling on the mercy of his support.

"It's only fair. I did save your life."

As suddenly as he had offered, he let go of her hand and she fell backwards. Her head hit the wooden floor.

Served her right for trusting an imbecile.

"Oh...my head."

Sakura slowly sat up tenderly rubbed her scalp. Now her hair was all filthy...great.

She probably looked like a beggar right now.

She tried to get up once more, but it was like swimming in jelly. The mud was too thick.

As a huge amount gathered in her hands, she glanced at it and smiled real big.

This was going to be priceless.

She flung it with all her might at the man who had become her personal demon since the past few days.

When the mud landed on the back of his head, a happy feeling settled in her heart. Justice was served!

"Now you're the best of both worlds, frosty! Or should I call you coco puff?"

Sakura swore she saw smoke coming out of his ears.

Now, with a strong spring in her step, she pushed herself up and gazed at the scene with her hands on her hips.

"I hear mud has a cooling effect for temperamental individuals."

She couldn't help herself.

The driver balled up his fists and attempted to calm himself by rubbing his temples. Unfortunately, his hands were also covered with mud.

The twins at first had just watched this scene in awe. Shocked by the bravery of the governess, they were silent for a few moments and watched the comical exchange with eager eyes.

But when she had made the frosty comment, they couldn't contain themselves. They began to laugh most adorably and loudly. Their faces turned red and Neo even fell on the floor.

Syaoran Li was not pleased. His name had just been dragged though the mud! At first, he had half a mind to scream at his children for laughing at him. But when he saw them laughing so freely and so joyfully, his anger vanished within a heartbeat.

In a wild fit of childish nostalgia, he picked up a clump of mud, this one had a nice helping of worms, and he aimed it at her face.

Bull's eye!

Sakura knew she should have seen this happening. She knew the driver wasn't a gentleman, but she was too busy laughing in her own foolish glory.

It hit her in the mouth and she furiously spit out the mess. However much she spit, she couldn't rid the taste of the earth from her mouth.

"Ewluvck!"

The twins were howling with laughter at this point.

Sakura flung another piece in his direction. And another.

Luckily for him, he dodged them, but Sophia and Neo, not so much.

Sakura placed her hands over her mouth, "oh my...I didn't mean..."

She stopped when she heard them laughing. _So they liked it._

They eagerly jumped off their bed and ran to join the battle of mud slinging. They threw it at one another, at Sakura and at their father. There were no rules, no victories, and no sides to this battle. This was one purely for the fun of it.

They all continued to throw mud in every direction, left and right, top to bottom; the room was scattered with mud. The twins screamed in pure joy as the squishy mud hit them.

Syaoran continued to fling mud at Sakura, who ran behind the bed for cover.

"Hey, that's not fair!"

Sakura stuck out her tongue, a bad move on her part because like the room and it's dwellers, it was covered in mud.

Syaoran wildly laughed as she attempted to wipe if off with tissues. He grabbed his sides, which were aching from all the fun.

"Who's laughing now!"

He was taunting her with the maturity of a five-year old.

Suddenly the door slammed open.

"What's going on here?!"

Rita had entered the room and she was not impressed. It was truly a maid's nightmare, with mud oozing from every corner, across every wall, and entombing all the stuffed animals. She wrinkled her nose at the pungent odor.

When her eyes fell upon the quad that had been engage in the mud battle of all mud battles, they widened beyond their breaking point.

"Oh my goodness! Sophia, Neo, get into the tub right now! What a mess everyone is in."

She tried to walk over the mud, in spaces it had not inhabited, but this proved to be a difficult task as the mud was everywhere!

With an urge to vomit, she placed one heel forward. After she didn't pass out from that step, she took another and approached the two figures at opposite ends of the large bed.

Sakura threw down the two mounds of mud she had gathered in her hands. Casually, she tried to wipe her hands on her blouse.

"I-I can explain."

Rita held up a hand. She walked over to the opposite side and bowed in front of the driver.

"I am so sorry about this. I had no clue she would come up like this."

"There's no need to apologize Rita. It was partially…erm..my fault."

"But Master Li…."

Sakura's ears began to rumble.

"Master Li?" She echoed Rita's words.

Rita slowly shook her head and waved a hand towards the driver, "This is our boss, Mr. Syaoran Li."

Sakura's mouth dropped wide open.


	13. Meeting the Master of the House

This was some kind of elaborate joke. It had to be. Or else how could she have missed something so big?

No. Big was an understatement. This was a colossal mistake. Beyond all boundaries of huge, this was something that would cost her the mission.

Sakura cringed at the thought.

She glanced up at Syaoran Li and saw he was wiping the mud off. Apparently sensing her stare, he returned the glance.

Sakura immediately averted her eyes.

Rita bit her lip and stared at the both of them. To evade the awkwardness, she looked around the room and surveyed the mess.

"Master Li, I think this will at least take a full day to clean. The children won't be able to sleep here tonight."

Syaoran Li nodded his head, "it's alright they can sleep in my room. Just ask the men to put extra security around the perimeter."

Rita nodded her head and absorbed the information as if a sponge.

"And send somebody to pick up the dirty clothes. Throw them out."

Sakura opened her mouth to retort, but she bit her lip. Now would not be the time to argue for the waste of throwing clothes out. Especially since it was just mud.

Syaoran Li shrugged his coat off and threw it on the floor. He then began to unbutton his shirt.

Sakura felt her face heat up.

Was he really stripping in front of them?

She looked over to Rita and saw that she was frozen solid. Her mouth was slightly parted and her eyes were wide.

Instinctively Sakura went over to her and covered her eyes.

"Excuse me, stripping is illegal."

_Why was her mouth faster than her brain sometimes? _

_Stupid, stupid. _

Syaoran Li took off his shirt and threw it at her face.

"Seems like you still haven't learned proper etiquette. I'm your boss. And I can do whatever I want in my own home."

He rolled his eyes. Well aware of the effect his actions possessed on the two ladies in the room, he continued his "strip-tease" in the lightest sense of the word.

Sakura threw the shirt aside and opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind, but she fell short of words.

He looked gorgeous. As Sakura stared at his bare torso, she felt something stir within her. His abs were toned and emitted a bronze glow. He looked like..like...

"You can stare as much as you want, I won't charge." Syaoran crossed his arms and smirked.

Sakura felt even more aware of the heat within her.

Longing?

Nope.

This was anger!

…_.It had to be._

And this was getting out of hand.

She heard Rita squeak next to her. She snapped out of her ridiculous trance and looked away.

Syaoran also looked away. He hadn't noticed he was watching her watch him. There was something unsettling about the thought.

"Rita, clean this mess up."

He began to walk out of the room.

"Yes sir" Rita bowed her head.

As he entered the frame of the doorway, he stood briefly and stated, without turning around,

"Oh, and tell the person next to you to come to dinner tonight. 7 sharp."

"Yes Master Li," Rita's voice trailed off as she glanced at Sakura in shock.

Sakura released a pent up breath and wiped off perspiration. She was surprised to discover she had been sweating.

Rita, on the other hand, glared at the individual responsible for the mess.

"I can't believe this. Sakura what were you thinking?"

Sakura turned to face Rita, "I'm really sorry about all this. I really don't know how this started. It just got out of hand. And I'm such an idiot."

Sakura looked extremely frazzled. Rita felt her anger decrease by a slight bar.

Rita patted her on the back, "There, there. What's done is done. No use in crying over spilled milk "

"But I spilled a lot."

Rita smiled in spite of herself, "You're a different one."

Sakura raised an eyebrow in confusion, "I don't understand what you mean."

Rita took her hand. "You're still here."

They heard a knock on the door and looked up to see Wei with mops and buckets.

"I heard rumors and naturally, if course, they are true."

There was a sly sparkle in his eye.

"Miss Kinomoto, you have truly astounded this household today."

Sakura weakly smiled, "I take it that I'm the first. I'm so sorry about this mess. I'll clean it up before I leave."

Dejectedly, Sakura grabbed a mop and bucket. Made of wood, the bucket was difficult to lift, so she dragged it across the marble floor.

"Leave? Miss Kinomoto, I think you are under the wrong impression."

Sakura, bewildered, looked up, "but I made this big mess. And I insulted the great Syaoran Li. Should I not be fired after that?"

She made elaborate hand movements when she spoke Syaoran's name. Her face was flushed from the frustration.

The sarcasm was not lost on Wei. He chuckled a good-natured chuckle.

Sakura just frowned at him. Was he really laughing at her failed situation?

Apparently the household was full of rude people.

Wei observed her frown and immediately stopped.

"Miss Kinomoto, please don't misunderstand. This is just a very unusual situation."

Sakura pouted, "I bet I'm the first one to go so fast."

She silently berated herself for screwing up the mission so early. Touya was going to first laugh at her, and then kill her.

Wei walked towards the door and stopped briefly before he left, "On the contrary Miss Kinomoto, I believe you are the first to have received a personal invitation for dinner."

With that, he left as quickly as he had come. The only evidence of his visit was the heap of cleaning supplies left by the door.

Sakura stood frozen for a moment. She was still trying to understand what had just happened to her today and she was more confused than ever. It was suspicious.

"Rita, why am I not fired yet?"

Rita, who had began scrubbing the walls during this time, just sighed, "I honestly don't know. But I do know we both will be in trouble if we don't clean this mess."

She threw a towel at Sakura and this time Sakura caught the object that was thrown at her.

The act brought back memories of the incident that had occurred a few moments prior.

His snarky comments came to mind and she was scrunched her eyebrows.

_That couldn't have been...flirting right?_

He was just being rude. Over the past few meetings, Sakura realized one thing for sure.

Syaoran Li was a strange, strange man.

The twins had exited the other doorway and were escorted downstairs to be dressed for dinner. Before leaving, however, they snuck glances at Sakura. Sakura watched them from the corner of her eye and smiled.

Cute.

Sakura and Rita, remarkably, had done the work of twenty maids within five hours. The soiled space was beginning to resemble a room once more.

Sakura, of course, had much practice with this sort of thing. After all, she had cleaned her house several times. Especially, in the events of messy encounters within the home. She was an experienced cleaner.

After they had wiped the walls and floor clean, they began to remove the dirty sheets.

"They are adorable." Sakura lovingly placed the pink princess sheets into the basket.

Rita shook her head in disbelief, "It's been a while since I heard that phrase."

Rita gathered up the rest of the sheets and ushered Sakura to follow her.

As they went down the corridor, a cool wave of crisp, cool air greeted then. The effect was lovely and Sakura inhaled it deeply. The mud had dried by this time and it was slowly peeling off.

_Like taking a mud facial._

They went down sown steps and Sakura was in familiar territory once again. It was the servant' quarters.

But it was now odd and unfamiliar. It was filled with the curious eyes of several servants that resided in the estate.

Sakura attempted to cover herself with the sheets, but that only made her more noticeable.

She whispered to Rita, "Do I look that bad?"

Rita whispered back, "They're just curious."

Sakura pursed her lips. She was supposed to be incognito during this mission; blend in with the crowd and all, but here she was now, the spectacle of the household.

As she walked, she tried to keep her gaze straight, but that proved easier said than done because everyone was just staring at her. They weren't even pretending to be doing something else. Nope, they were just observing her in all her mud glory.

_This is worse than walking down the Beijing Palace with a bikini on._

And she considered _that incident_ one of the most embarrassing in her life. Tomoyo had it on video! She made a silent vow to get that as soon as possible.

Finally the torment seemed to come to a close when they entered the door at the end of the unbearably long corridor.

Before Rita shut the door, Sakura heard a lone whistle followed by intense whispers.

Sakura covered her face with the sheets, "That was so mortifying."

Rita took the sheets from her and giggled, "I've never seen them so excited before. You've become a celebrity."

Sakura snorted, "For surviving a prank?"

"No, for throwing mud at the master."

_Was there pride in her tone?_

Sakura gazed around and saw that they were in the laundry room of the estate. It scale as large as a medium sized apartment. She saw they were not alone. Several maids were engaged in the acts of laundering.

Sakura saw them eye her with looks of disdain. She looked down at the mess she was dragging along and understood why.

"Rita, I think I should wash up."

Rita nodded and took the dirty sheets from her. She waved to one of the maids and the maid brought a freshly laundered robe in a clear plastic bag. Some toiletries were provided as well.

The maid eyed her up and down. She then handed Sakura the bag.

"But I have my own-"

"We don't have much time left until dinner, Sakura. Now, if you take the left door over there, you'll enter the washrooms. Hurry!"

Sakura nodded and followed Rita's directions. Surely soon enough, she entered the washrooms.

They looked as fancy as some five star hotel bathrooms. There were several sinks and showers so she guessed this was particularly intended for the help.

Picking the first shower, she hung the bag on the side and slowly stripped herself of the soiled clothing. Placing those in another bag provided, she turned the shower knob and gasped as the sudden spray of water, cooled her. She fiercely scrubbed the mess out of her hair with lovely lavender scented shampoo and lathered her skin with rose scented soap.

It was a luxurious affair and Sakura wished it would never end.

But dinner was awaiting her.

She quickly got out of the shower and donned the plush, white bathrobe provided. She even received matching slippers.

Quickly, she blow-dried her hair (the ladies room had one hanging along each mirror) and combed it straight.

Taking the bags with her, she exited the room and ran into something.

Sakura felt herself slipping, but a firm grip steadied her.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking ahead."

A smooth and serious voice replied, "It is quite alright. I wasn't looking properly either."

Sakura just stared at him curiously.

His accent was foreign and stifled. It possessed a British tinge to it.

He was extremely pale with a collection of jet black-blue hair that made him look even paler. His startling grey eyes were illuminated by the glare of his glasses. He nervously smiled at her.

"Are you alright?"

Sakura slowly nodded but didn't avert her gaze. There was something familiar about him. She couldn't put her finger on it...

"I'm Eriol by the way. The new driver."

He dipped into a low bow.

Sakura returned the bow, "Sakura Kinomoto, the new governess."

"Pleased to finally meet you, Miss Kinomoto. I've heard a lot about you."

"I hope good things."

Sakura knew whatever he had heard was probably exaggerated. She had, of course, only gotten here.

"Interesting things." He contradicted her statement with an obscure one.

They stood there awkwardly for a moment, in the dimly lit hallway. Sakura felt extremely embarrassed at meeting a stranger in he bathrobe.

"Well, I won't detain you any further. You do have a dinner to attend."

With that, he exited the corridor and left Sakura with a curious feeling.

There was something odd about him. And how did he know she had a dinner to attend? Surely, that matter was only between Rita and herself.

But maybe, Rita had told the help. After all, rumors spread like a wild fire in the estate.

Still, his manner had been too aware.

She decided she would keep a close eye on him.

She threw aside her fifth outfit.

"Oh, I have nothing to wear!"

She heard an impatient knock on the door.

"Come in."

Rita walked in and saw the mess splayed across the room.

"It's almost time for dinner-and- my goodness. It looks like a tornado came in here."

Rita carefully stepped over a few tops.

"It's looks like you need help."

Sakura folded her hands together, "Please do help!"

Rita sighed and began to survey each article of clothing. Eventually she chose a off-white chiffon blouse and a navy pleated skirt. She also directed Sakura to some nice oxfords.

She began to head towards the sort to give her a moment's privacy.

As explanation, she stated, "Madame Yelan likes the help to dress simply. I'll be waiting outside."

Sakura quickly slipped into the recommended outfit and slightly colored her lips. Slapping her cheeks lightly, she stepped into the oxfords and exited the room.

Rita locked the room behind her.

"Ready?"

Sakura felt her stomach do several flips, "Not really."

Rita patted Sakura on the back, "Just remember you're all human okay?"

_What kind of monsters are these people?_

She led her down several stairways and down a nicely carpeted hallway. Sakura had half a mind to roll on it.

They approached two large doors. Two butlers on each side bowed and opened each door. Behind the doors was glorious light and cold silence.

Whoever said the Li's were subtle?

None of them even looked up as Wei announced her arrival.

Yelan Li sat at the head of the table and was engrossed in the business elite: the newspaper that dealt with all things business.

Syaoran Li was discussing something with the twins. They were staring at him with wide-eye adoration and giggled at something he had said.

Sakura stood frozen at the door. Forgetting all notions of conduct, she began to freak out.

She hastily whispered to Rita, "Maybe I should call in sick. I'm not feeling too well actually".

She made movement to turn around, but Rita firmly held her in place.

"Now's no time for this. Besides, you're already here."

She pushed Sakura ahead.

Her oxfords made a clamor on the oak floor and unceremoniously confirmed her arrival.

That certainly grabbed their attention. They glanced at her as if she were a cockroach, a specimen to be ogled at and repulsed by.

But no eye contact. That was bad.

Sakura followed the traditional norms of conduct.

She bowed and greeted everyone.

"Thank you for inviting me for dinner."

Yelan Li lowly bowed her head in return and gestured for her to take a seat.

Syaoran Li did not look up and remained engrossed with something on his phone.

She felt like smacking it out of his hand.

The twins coyly smiled at her. Were those mischievous smiles or tell-and-i-will-murder-you-smiles? She couldn't tell.

Well, she wasn't going to say anything. She was pretty good at interrogations. No words were going to escape from her mouth.

She went towards the seat across Syaoran Li. Wei moved the chair for her.

After giving him a wordless thank you and a smile in return, she sat in the chair.

Suddenly, a loud farting sound filled the silence of the room with embarrassment.

Her embarrassment.

Sakura realized with horror that she had sat on a whoopi cushion. She hastily removed it, but in the process she made a few more of those obnoxious sounds.

She passed the cushion to Wei who had been standing right next to her. He gave her an apologetic glance.

She shook her head in gesture for him not to worry.

She didn't have much hope for today's dinner date anyhow.

The twins giggled knowingly. She looked over to see Yelan Li not too please with the entire affair. The lady pursed her lips in such a way that made lemons feel ashamed of their sourness. Sakura snuck a glance at Syaoran and saw a slight upward movement of the lips. Well, she wasn't going to be a scapegoat.

She cleared her throat and remarked, "Clever trick. I've used it once or twice myself."

She winked at the twins, who once again were shocked by her upbeat attitude.

So much for her not saying anything.

The older Li members took the first proper glance of their guest for the night.

Sakura had a sneaky feeling nobody had ever spoken up in front of the Li clan. Sure, they were intimidating. Especially Mrs. Yelan Li, but she could deal with that. In fact, she had dealt with much worse over her small lifetime. From sinister drug dealers to bloodthirsty dictators, she had seen them all. People of power had all shared a great weakness: an inflated ego. Manipulating? That was a piece of cake for her now.

Sakura turned to face Yelan Li, "You have a lovely home."

"I am well aware."

Okay, maybe she wasn't as great as she thought she was. She was, after all, only a few missions old.

Yelan Li snapped her fingers. On that sound, Rita picked up the newspaper and replaced it with a glossy blue folder. Sakura noticed her name written in neat lettering on one of the tabs.

Yelan Li dramatically placed her half moon shaped spectacles upon her flat nose and examined the contents of the file.

"I see you have much experience."

Sakura slightly straitened in her chair.

"And I see you have traveled much."

Sakura's mind flashed back to memories of fighting ninjas in the Amazon forest and swiping precious jewels from the Mafia headquarters.

"The letters of recommendation list you as highly qualified and well mannered."

Sakura coyly smiled.

Blackmailing Touya was the best.

"However, I feel the incident of this afternoon proves otherwise."

Sakura's smile slid off her face.

"Miss Kinomoto, I feel your actions prove you to be an incompetent governess. I will not have you soiling my legacy with such misbehavior."

Sakura slowly began to sink into her seat.

"Never before has something like this happened."

Her voice was sharp and unsympathetic. Sakura clasped her hands together and held them tightly together.

_There was no use in justifying herself. But still…._

Sakura glanced over at the twins and saw that they were cringing in their seats. When they caught her eye, they seemed utterly helpless, like deers frozen by the headlights of an upcoming car.

"I apologize for my behavior. I take full responsibility for the incident."

She was going to fail Derek.

_Derek…_

With her eyes downcast, she awaited the order that would decide the fate of her mission. At the last moment, she decided to look upwards and not appear defeated.

Yelan Li glanced at Sakura properly. Her calculating eyes bore into the surprising grasshopper green. Recognizing a will as superior as her own, Yelan Li surprised herself with her next sentence.

"However, you may stay temporarily."

A/N: It had been a while, I know. I hope you haven't lost interest just yet. I was experiencing a bit of a block. I was questioning on why I was even writing this story. To regain my inspiration, I re-watched the show and I fell in love with the characters once again. Sakura and Syaoran forever! By the way readers, what is your favorite episode of the show? One of my favorites is the episode where Sakura goes to a summerhouse and meets her great-grandfather. There was just so much emotion in that episode. CCS is amazing for not only providing action, but also character development. That is one of the things that attracted me to the show in the first place. Don't forget to comment and leave a review! I don't mind criticism.

3 Serendipitousloveaffair


	14. Dinner Faces

Here's the next chapter, but first, a big thank you to the reviewers! I really appreciate your enthusiasm for the story. Your enthusiasm influences me to write more!

Without further adieu, the chapter.

XXXX

Chapter 14: Dinner Faces

Yelan Li contemplated Sakura's expression after she announced her decision.

"I hope you will not disappoint me."

Sakura shook her head and brightly announced, " I will try my best. You won't have a reason to complain!"

She smiled towards the twins who abashedly looked down at their dinner. A few seconds later, Sophia returned a shy smile. Neo turned a tomato color.

Sakura turned towards Syaoran and her smile faded. He was glancing at her with distaste and repugnance. She nervously gulped. Maybe she had won the battle, but the war was not over yet. Her past experiences with the master of the house were not pleasant ones and she knew it was going to be a difficult journey.

She was surprised he had not objected his mother's decision. But then again, he seemed to be powerless in front of Yelan Li. Thank goodness for that.

A piercing ringtone broke the silence. It was the sound of a wind chime that clanged incessantly. It made Sakura's ears feel as if they were bleeding.

She resisted the urge to cover her ears.

She looked across the table and saw that the twins were making faces at the noise. Syaoran, she observed, was tilting his head sideways, as if trying to divert the noise.

How such a dignified lady like Yelan Li could like such a ringtone, nobody could understand.

Even Wei, who was a generally nonjudgmental, wrinkled his noise at the those that has asked her about the interesting ringtone, Yelan Li had responded, it made her feel peaceful.

At last, she answers the cell.

"Yes, Yelan Li speaking. No, not at the moment."

Her face tensed as she listened to the voice in the other end of the line. She nervously began to tap her fingers on the table.

Syaoran stared in awe as he watched his mother fidget in her seat.

Yelan Li bit her lip and sighed, "I'll be there right away."

She terminated the call and gravely glanced towards her dinner party, "I apologize, but I have to cut this dinner short."

"But you just got here yesterday!"

"Syaoran, please don't make a scene."

He turned his head away and engrossed himself in his phone once more. Sakura noticed his eyes were fiercely blazing.

Yelan rose out of the chair and everyone followed her lead.

Dipping her head slightly, she gave a quick sweep with her sharp eyes, and then abruptly, exited the room.

"Daddy, where is grandma going?"

Sophia messily twirled the spaghetti and chomped on the forkful.

"She's going out of the county."

"Again? She keeps on going and going. Aish. I don't want to be a grown up no more."

Sophia thumped her head with her fist and dramatically shook her head at the absurdity of grown-ups and their worldly endeavors.

"W-we should all have tea parties and play with dolls all day long."

Sakura winked at her, "I couldn't agree more."

Sophia giggled and flashed thumbs up.

Syaoran flashed a rare smile. But it immediately disappeared when he noticed Sakura glancing at him.

Neo, who had been watching the exchange with mild disdain, stabbed at the meatball and sliced it into pieces, "I'm bored."

Syaoran shut off his phone and picked up the fork, "Neo, don't play with your food."

Neo began to throw the spaghetti out of the plate.

"Neo!"

Syaoran got out of his chair.

Wei rushed forward, "Young master..."

Syaoran forcefully took the fork from his hand, "How many times have I told you..."

Sakura got up and walked over to the other side of the table. She stood between Neo and Syaoran.

"I don't think that is an appropriate way to make him understand."

With her eyes, she gestured towards Neo's frightened facial expression.

Syaoran looked at Neo's face and softened his hold on the fork.

He turned towards Sakura and took a step forward so that he was mere inches away from her body.

_**How dare she stand in his way? **_

_Why was he always so close? _

And why was she so flustered by it?

She had faced serial killers and sinister eccentrics, but her heart had never beaten this fast before. She clutched it to slow it down.

He startled her with his question, "Then what is the proper way?" It was a husky whisper, yet there was a fierce seriousness underneath.

He rolled his eyes and threw the fork back on the plate. It clanged throughout the room.

Sakura bit her lip and crouched down near Neo.

"I'll show you."

Syaoran crossed his arms, "That was a rhetorical question." He leaned his back on the table.

"Didn't sound like it." Sakura smirked as she began to move the contents of Neo's plate.

Syaoran, bored, placed one hand underneath his face and drummed his fingers on the table with the other.

"That wasn't an open invitation for you to act like a five-year old, Miss Kinomoto."

Sakura stopped for a split second.

_Miss Kinomoto. _

_Makes me sound so old. And yet the way he said it...he made it sound kinky almost._

_Oh Sakura, stop it right now!_

She shook her head and resumed her task.

Syaoran sighed loudly and whipped his phone out. He began to scroll his thumb down the screen.

Wei, who had been watching this exchange with an approving eye, chucked silently when he saw that Syaoran was pretending to scroll down his phone. No doubt trying to watch without seeming so. Wei noted with particular interest the way the young master was gazing at the young governess from the corner of his eye.

Wei saw Rita come in with the next set of the course, but he ushered her out and told her to wait.

He then resumed his place near the side of the door, standing as still as a dormouse, watching as always.

Until now, Neo had been watching Sakura with a stunned gaze. He had initially squirmed away when she crouched near him, but now he was leaning forward to see what she was doing.

He saw her shift a few peas here and there and play with the several sauces.

When she smiled at him, he shifted his eyes and turned the other way.

"Done!"

She proudly stood up and gestured towards the plate. She had somehow created an ogre with the green peas, carrots and mashed potatoes. The resemblance was uncanny.

"That's Shrek! Sowphie, look look!"

Forgetting his plan to drive away the governess, Neo jumped with excitement in his high-rise chair.

Sakura watched in satisfaction as the twins gushed over her creation.

Sophia then pulled at her skirt and asked her to make a "food face" on her plate as well.

Sakura knelt down and patted her cheek, "What kind of face do you want sweetie?"

Sophia scrunched her forehead in frustration.

"A pwincess!"

"I'd love to create a princess for out little princess."

"I'm a fairy pwincess!"

Sophia twirled around the room and spun in circles.

Sakura caught her just as she was about to fall from the dizziness.

"Now I'll only do it if you sit at your chair."

"Okie dokie!"

Sophia excitedly skipped to her chair and squeed as Wei assisted her on the high chair.

Sakura walked over to Sophia's side and picked up the sauce.

"This looks like the work of a mental patient.."

Syaoran Li, who did not care at all, rose once he saw the scene was clear. Because he was so unconcerned about the entire situation, he closely observed the plate.

Obviously not interested, he opened his mouth to announce his opinion.

"Sophie, _I'll_ make something for you."

Sakura opened her mouth and then closed it again. She merely stepped aside to allow him access to the plate. Her insides flailed wildly as she caught a whiff of his cologne. It was so delightful.

_What's wrong with me?_

She held her breath as to not inhale the smell.

She merely watched, with her arms crossed, and with an amused expression as Syaoran created his "masterpiece". The maids were beginning to crowd the open door at this time, curious and neglecting their tasks to complete.

Wei was very surprised at the turn of events. He had never seen his young master step up to do anything himself. Syaoran Li had always had other people do things for him and yet, here he was, doing something of his own will.

He turned the plate so Sophia could view his "masterpiece". He looked pleased with himself.

"Isn't it pretty Soph?"

Sophia looked down at her plate and frowned.

"Daddy..."

Syaoran glanced down at the plate and then smirked at Sakura, "Some things should just be left to people with taste."

Sakura snorted. This man was so full of himself.

Sophia frowned, "This is ugly"

She pointed to the plate and Sakura took her first proper look at his creation.

It was a jumble of noodles with ketchup used to make a smiley face.

"Is that medusa?" Sakura swore it looked like the mythical creature of Greek lore.

Syaoran glared at Sakura, "No, it is not Medusa! It's Rapunzel. Don't you see her hair?"

He frantically pointed to the pile of noodles as if that would make everyone understand what he had created.

Sakura shook her head, "No, I don't see it."

He immediately turned to look at Sophia and saw tears were teetering at the brink of her eyes.

_Oh, this guy's such a charmer._ She shook in disapproval.

Syaoran pushed the plate away and crouched down in front of his daughter.

"I'm sorry honey. Don't cry."

He wiped her tears away.

"I-I wanted one too. Neo gots one!"

She sniffled and turned away from Her father.

Oh, the demands of five year olds.

Syaoran tried to further reason with her, but she remained adamant.

Exasperated, he stood up and banged the table.

"This is your fault," he gave Sakura a pointed look, "You fix it."

Sakura crossed her arms, "Oh, how kind of you to ask."

Syaoran growled and pointed to the plate, "Now. Don't make me repeat myself."

Sakura lifted her chin up and purposely took the long route around his royal pain to get to Sophia. He shook his head at the audacity of this lady.

"All right, all right, keep your pants on."

The table erupted into a chorus of giggles.

_Oh, what the heck._

Sakura smiled as she began to reach for another plate.

Syaoran held the plate, "What's wrong with the old one?!"

Sakura gravely announced, looking him straight in the eye, "I cannot fix that abominable mess. It is beyond my saving."

Syaoran released the plate and whispered under his breath, "Acting like I killed something."

Sakura responded in whispers, "Your dignity."

She silently giggled and stopped when she felt his glance.

_Oh live a little Syaoran Li._

At this point, Sakura knew not to look directly at him. She felt his heated gaze and sensed all the nonverbal insults he was hurling at her.

To evade this thought, she concentrated on creating the dish.

She stuck her tongue out as she worked on the hair, weaving whole grain and white noodles into a multi-layered and colored look. She molded the blue of the eyes out of blueberries and mashed potatoes to make the teeth. Finally, she finished with parsley on the teeth.

Syaoran snorted when he saw her creation, "As far as I remember, her teeth aren't green."

"Obviously you haven't read the original Rapunzel. Her teeth were stained from eating parsley. You probably just watched the Disney version."

Syaoran remained silent.

"I didn't take you as a open-minded person anyways."

He raised an eyebrow, "And this is coming from a person who looks like she has the IQ of a snail."

The twins, who had each begun eating the food, snorted out their respective meals.

Sakura blushed a pale pink, "Snails are quite smart you know. Don't underestimate the power of the small."

She gestured towards Neo and Sophia, who continued to stuff food into their tiny mouths, "I don't think I have to explain further."

Syaoran gaped at the scene, "Th-they have never..." He turned to face Sakura, "they always pick at their food. And...now they're actually eating it!"

He shared at triumphant look with Wei who winked his eyes in happiness.

Wei walked towards his young master.

"It truly is remarkable. This young lady has accomplished in ten minutes what none of us have been able to do for five years!"

Wei bowed towards Sakura.

Sakura shook her head in embarrassment, "No, please don't do that. It was really nothing. I was a picky eater too."

She laughed as she recalled her childhood, "My father used to make faces for me. That was the only way I would eat!"

Wei warmly smiled at her, "We are all grateful for this."

Sakura shyly looked down and snuck a glance at Syaoran. Their eyes met and they both immediately looked away.

Wei waved with one finger and the rest of the meal was brought out.

"You have entertained us so much for the evening. Now, please enjoy your meal."

Syaoran snorted and crossed his arms.

Sakura watched him with amusement. _He's such a baby sometimes._

She took her place at the table and continued watching him.

_Seriously, which grown man pouts like that? _

She snuck another glance when she was certain no one was looking and allowed her eyes to linger on his arms and the way his biceps were slightly bulging in the sleeves of the shirt. Suddenly feeling hot, she took a liberal gulp of water. When that didn't help, she emptied the glass.

"Feeling thirsty Miss Kinomoto?" Syaoran flipped a newspaper over, "You know what they say, thirst is the inability to quench the sinful mind."

"That's such a ridiculous statement, water is necessary for the body to function. What does sin have to do with anything? I'm just drinking because I'm dehydrated."

With that she shrugged her shoulders and continued gulping down the next glass.

Syaoran narrowed his eyes at her and saw a drop of cool water trail down the glass onto her shirt. He glanced at the drop, noticing how it bled through the thin material.

"Shall I pour another glass, Miss Kinomoto?" Wei held out the crystal pitcher.

"Yes, please."

Sakura held up her glass and smiled at Wei poured the clear, sparkling drink into her glass.

Snapping out of his momentary stupor, Syaoran cleared his throat and darted his eyes to his plate, which he noticed was the same dish as _hers_.

"What is this? Take this out of my sight!"

With a powerful push, he knocked the plate off the table and onto the floor.

Wei immediately ordered one of the maids to clear the mess. He asked Rita to lead the children out of the room. As the twins were being led out, one by each hand, they worriedly glanced at their father who looked distressed.

XXXX

Once outside, Rita gave each of them a reassuring hug.

"Did we do sometling wrong?" Neo's lower lip began to tremble.

Sophia began to cry and she clutched her pink bunny, Mr. Pink, for support, "Daddy h-h-hates us."

Rita grabbed them for another hug and this time she held tight, soothing their little hairs, and whispering reassuring words in their ears. She took them to the second dining room, the smaller one, and attempted to feed them food. But at this point, they had lost their little appetites. With a glum heart, Rita led them to their rooms and tucked them in goodnight. But the entire household knew they would be getting nightmares this night.

She nodded to the guardsmen posted at doors and tucked the room key in her pocket. When she skittered down another hallway, out of sight, she slumped to the wall and pressed her face near the cold stonewalls. She saw _that_ door ahead. The one that had changed everything. She realized with a start, that this was the forbidden hallway. No one ever entered it. Panic crept into her heart. She wasn't supposed to be here. This place held so many macabre memories; it was a tomb of evil. Shivering from head to toe, Rita pulled herself up and ran out of the hallway.

The solitary sound of a doorknob turning filled the solemn silence of the space.

XXXX

Wei stepped up to his young master. Used to his tantrums, Wei was the only individual brave enough to stand up to Syaoran Li.

"What is not to your liking?"

Syaoran clenched his teeth, "Everything," he pointed to the fallen food on the ground, "You know I hate Salmon."

Wei pursed his lips. The young master had just complimented the dish last week. With his finely aged ears, he heard the murmurs of gossip begin outside the dining room.

But what had gone wrong?

Wei surveyed the meal. The presentation was top notch. The taste was sublime, as he had tasted it moments prior to serving. Even the ingredients were fresh. The dish was an exact, if not better, replica of last week's dinner. He observed the table to see what had set the young master off and saw the trigger.

XXXX

Her green eyes, a moment ago, filled with reserve, were now filled with shock. She slowly placed her glass down and left her hands up in the air, clutching on to nothing for support. She watched his outburst with alarm and suddenly felt concerned for the twins. She was just about to get up, when Wei fired the orders and guns were drawn. It was like a routine, a ritual. That was how fast the entire process went about. Sakura strongly suspected this to be a daily occurrence.

From the corner of her eye, she saw that the household was cowering behind the wooden doors, almost as if fearing for their lives.

"Fire the cook." He gave a nonchalant look to Wei who donned an expression of disappointment.

"Very well young master." He dipped slightly and went out of the room to convey the bad news. After a bit of rustling, the room was silent once again.

It was just he and she with the company of a feast. Sakura silently watched as he served himself a traditional slice of vegetarian lasagna. He stabbed at the dish and rapidly shoved a piece into his mouth. Then followed another bite and another. Sakura remained immobile, just watching him eat. She noticed how he slightly twitched when he bit into a hot pepper and the way his mouth twisted into a smile when he chewed on the mushrooms.

_So he must like mushrooms._

_I love mushrooms._

The thought made her smile.

"Is something amusing Miss Kinomoto?"

Her eyes widened and she began to stutter, "N-n-no."

He finished his wine glass and began to pour another.

"Oh, where are my manners? Would you like some?"

"No thank you. I don't drink."

_Like hell she would drink with him. _

He raised an eyebrow, " I was under the impression one drinks at a club. Or is there something else I am not aware of?"

Sakura chose her words carefully, "I don't drink while working."

Sakura offered a small smile and began to reach for her fork. Dignity be damned, she was starving.

"Are you going to deny everything?" Syaoran pounded his fist on the table, "I saw you there in the elevator. Why didn't anybody see you there?"

Sakura sliced her salmon and took a bite, "This is really good."

"Don't try to change the topic."

"I really don't understand why you don't like salmon. The flavor is to die for!" She eagerly stuffed her mouth and began to chew. Hopefully he would allow her to eat in peace. She highly doubted it, however.

"Enough!" He stood up and walked over to her. Taking her hand, he yanked her out of her chair and threw her against the wall.

Sakura hit the wall with a loud thud. Her shoulder throbbed with a dull ache. She rubbed it and glared at the perpetrator, "How dare you treat me like this! I may work under you but that doesn't mean I don't possess any self-respect."

Syaoran turned his face away, "You weren't answering my question, so-"

"So you thought you could toss me around like some sort of worthless object." Sakura's voice began to tremble, "Bravo Mr. Li, bravo."

Syaoran crossed his arms, " I don't care about your opinion of me."

Sakura fought the urge to kick his face off his head. Her hands clenched into fists and trembled with excessive rage.

_I'm going to murder him in his sleep. No. I'm going to poison his ass and watch him foam at the mouth. No, I'm going to wring his neck with my bare hands and watch the life leave his eyes._

She grit her teeth in frustration and growled, "You're not even worth holding an opinion of."

Syaoran turned on his heel, "I-I'm not worth an opinion?" He obnoxiously pointed to himself, "Obviously you need a reality check."

Sakura slowly shook her head, "Unbelievable. You're so full of yourself."

Syaoran scoffed and tugged the collar of his shirt, "I think I have a full right to be. I'm Syaoran fucking Li."

"The middle name suits you. It perfectly describes what kind of person you really are."

When Sakura saw him staring at her with an incredulous look, she raised her hands, "Hey, just repeating what you said, _boss_."

Syaoran took a step forward. Sakura, in response, took one step back.

"Are we playing a game now, Miss Kinomoto?" His lips curled upward into an intrigued smile.

Sakura wryly responded, "I think the game began a while ago Mr. Li. You seem a little late to the party."

Syaoran stopped in his tracks and looked at her with an undecipherable expression. Sakura took another step backwards and felt a rush of cool air on her back. She glanced backwards to see the doorway behind her.

"That's the first truthful thing I think you've said all night Miss Kinomoto. He leaned in closer, and brushed his breath near her ear, "I would _love_ to learn more about you."

Sakura shivered from the effect of his warm breath, "There's nothing to learn."

He moved in closer, his lips a few inches from her cheek, "I think you're hiding something."

Sakura almost felt his cheek touching hers, the effect static and electrifyingly nauseating. Yet, it was addictive. She _liked_ this feeling. She whispered, without thinking and with her breath hitched, "Come and find out."

"Ahem."

Sakura and Syaoran both looked up to see Wei standing at the doorway. They both scrambled backwards, Syaoran bumping into the small pillar behind him and Sakura bumping into Wei.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't…We were just…ummm…talking."

Wei stifled a smile behind his gloved hand, "I apologize for interrupting."

Syaoran, who was still red-faced, waved a hand in disagreement, "You were interrupting nothing. Nothing important was going on."

Wei raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat, "Well, the twins are soundly asleep in their chamber."

"Did they… cry?"

That momentary pause made Sakura realize how much he regretted his earlier actions.

_Hollow with no venom._

Wei looked down, "Yes. I think tomorrow morning you should wake them up. I think they would like that."

"I'll do that."

Wei continued, "The cook has been dismissed."

Syaoran locked eyes with Sakura, "You can cancel that order." He instantly looked away.

Sakura felt like butterflies were fluttering inside.

_It wasn't possible that he changed his mind because of her. No, that was impossible._

"Sir?"

Syaoran checked his expensive pure gold Rado watch, "Anything else Wei?"

With a large smile, he handed Syaoran an envelope, "The Madame sent it before she left. She said it was urgent and must be read immediately."

As Wei was handing the envelope, Sakura noticed the family crest embellished on the backside of the envelope. It was a blood red seal, with a large "L" in the form of a dragon's body. Even though it was small, it left quite an impression, because it was so detailed. The scales were visible even from this distance. There was something else embedded in the "L", but she couldn't discern it in the ten-second timeframe.

Syaoran tucked the envelope under his arm; "I'll read it soon."

Wei then turned to Sakura, "Do you need assistance in getting back to your bedchamber?"

"No, thank you. I think I got a vague idea of this place. I'll be able to find it."

"Very well then."

Sakura knew he didn't believe her. Well, she kinda had an idea. If anything, she would just explore the mansion.

She slowly edged along the doorframe, "Well, it was…a nice…dinner."

Awkward silence.

She turned to leave, "Goodnight now."

"Miss Kinomoto."

It was _his_ voice. She hadn't expected him to address her after their encounter. She was still stunned at what had happened earlier. It had escalated so quickly; from anger to…to…she didn't even know. All she knew was that, at the end, both of them had no clue what had transpired between them. She hoped she wouldn't have to be alone with him again.

She stopped in her tracks.

"Meet me in the lounge, near the fireplace. I have something for you to sign."

He whispered something to Wei and exited the dining area, traveling in the opposite end of the hallway. Sakura watched him grow smaller and smaller in the dimness of the hall.

Wei readjusted his glasses and disbelievingly remarked, "I believe the world has come to an end today."

Sakura remained dumbfounded.

He wanted to meet her after all of that? After what had _almost_ happened between them?

Alone in the lounge?

What game was he playing at?

Sakura suspiciously stared in the direction he had disappeared to.

_I'm going to bring my Taser. _

A/N: Hey readers! Hope you are all having a fabulous summer! It's really hot here on the Eastern seaboard, but it's a great time to enjoy the sun I guess. I struggled with this chapter, especially the dinner scene, because I wasn't sure which direction to take this encounter. Hopefully it isn't too bad. Let me know what you think! Also, are the characters shaping up well?

P.S. Things are going to start picking up pace starting next chapter. I have already planned how many chapters this story will be. 30. I have the titles and everything.

P.S.S I will never give up on this story.

3 Serendipitousloveaffair


	15. Interview with a Mob Boss

Chapter 15: Interview with a Mob Boss 

The words still rang in her ears and she was intrigued. What could he possibly say to her there, what he couldn't say in front of anybody else?

Various scenarios ran through her head, none of which seemed plausible.

It was highly unlikely he was planning to beat her up in here. There were too many witnesses. It was also unlikely he was going to unleash a vicious dog on her. That was too messy and she had tackled so many that she was an expert at evading dogs now.

The most unlikely, though her heart beat wildly at the thought, was it a possible ruse to perhaps...kiss her. Nope, that was certainly out of the question. Why would he kiss a girl who had offered him a car lift, saved his life from a near-death elevator incident and also was successful in feeding his kids? He would probably dwell on the negative aspects of those incidents. So what if she caused the car accident? And so what if she threw truffles at his face? She had taken responsibility for her actions. If the haughty Syaoran Li could not see past that, then he possessed absolutely no sense of virtue. After all, forgiveness is the highest virtue of all.

She was still sitting at the table, absentmindedly swirling the dessert, a splendid tiramisu, when Wei interrupted her in her train of thought.

"Miss Kinomoto, if I may."

"You don't have to ask for permission. Please Wei, don't make me feel so old.

Wei bowed his head in thanks, "I appreciate the respect you hold for me. Despite the fact that we have only established an acquaintance in the last 24 hours, I feel I could tell you this. The young master possesses a good heart. He may seem like a bad person, but he just hides his true emotions behind his words. He has just been through a lot. I fear this is taking a toll on his health."

Without thinking, Sakura opened her mouth, "He seems childish to me. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have spoken…"

Wei's eyes twinkled, "Yes, with you he seems to be more motivated. I wonder why..."

Sakura felt the blush spread across her cheeks, "Excuse me, I have to go wash my hands."

Both bowed. Quickly, she dashed out of the hall, just fast enough not to hear Wei's cries behind her, growing faint and fainter as she entered the restroom on the other side of the hall.

She shut the bathroom door and placed her cool hands on her burning cheeks. Wei's words were still ringing in her ears and making her dizzy.

She had to mentally slap herself to bring herself to reality.

Gosh, what was it with her and other people's words today? It was like she didn't have any control over her mind anymore. What the hell was going on?

She slapped herself on the cheek. Nope, the words were still drifting throughout her mind.

She washed her face with burning cold water. That helped a little. She patted her face with the fleecy towel and glanced at herself. She was even more flushed now. Oh goodness, she couldn't go to him like this! He would think otherwise. Who knew what his ego would inflate to if he thought her smitten?

Sakura checked the clock and saw there was still twenty minutes left before she was to enter the lounge. Seeing there was some time left, she flipped the toilet seat shut and sat on it. Sometimes the best ideas came to her on a toilet seat. As she surveyed her surroundings, an antique finished bathroom with brass furnishings and bronze geometric wallpaper, she felt a bit of resentment.

My bathroom always smells funky and here is this bathroom, with expensive lavender candles. Seriously, there were expensive candles lit, bathing the room in a warm yellow glow.

Rich people and their expensive stuff. Pffft. Crossing her arms, she stuck her tongue out at the lavish bathroom. Then, she blew out the candle.

XXXX

_Ok, where am I?_

After she had left the bathroom, Sakura turned a left then a right, but she ended up in a completely different area than the dining room she had expected to encounter again.

_Shit, I'm totally lost._

How she wished she had her phone right now. She would've just downloaded an interactive map of the house. She didn't even read any of the files yet. Right now, she was basically a blind person going down a dark tunnel. There was no point of asking for help because there was no one in sight. In fact, it was odd that she hadn't seen anybody yet.

_There are probably fifty people working here. How come I haven't seen anybody yet?_

A cold draft blew throughout the hallway and ruffled her hair. She shivered beneath her thin blouse. Putting her arms around herself, she continued walking down the dimly lit hallway.

Darn it. Everything looked the same. As she turned and entered another hallway, she cursed out loud. Checking her watch, she realized with dread that she only had a couple of minutes left before she had to meet him. But how on earth was she supposed to meet him? She had absolutely no idea how to get there.

_Why couldn't they have lived in a small cottage? Those are so much easier to navigate. _

She was probably going to have to Taser herself after this. He was probably going to think he ditched her. Oh great, like he thought highly of her from the beginning. She shook her head and took another turn. It was pitch black and smelt faintly of burnt wood. Clutching the wall for support, she stood there, contemplating whether or not to go forward.

Oh, how she hated the dark. Infested with evil creatures, ominous spells, and malevolent ghosts, her imagination ran wild whenever she encountered the obscure. She blamed Touya and his endless tales of horror. He thought they were funny, until he realized the effect it was having on her. She refused to go to the bathroom alone because she was certain a witch was waiting in the tub to eat here. Also, one time she was terrified to sleep in her own bed because she believed the boogeyman was inside her closet. Touya stopped telling his stories, and Sakura had grown up, but her mind, oh her fickle mind, still believed the tricks of the dark.

_There's no such things as ghosts. There's no such things as ghosts. _

Taking a deep breath, she took a step forward and began her walk down the pitch-black hall. The burnt smell was getting more and more prominent as she walked further along.

_Where is that coming from?_

She held her hands out forward and they bumped into something that felt grainy. She continued feeling up the object until she realized it was a door. The burnt smell was coming from _this_ door. Immediately, she felt for the knob and turned it, but it was locked.

"Is anybody in there? Hello."

There was no response. She placed pressure on the door and turned the knob again, but it wouldn't budge.

_Why is this door locked? It seems to be bolted and chained from the inside. The outside region is weak._

The wood was slightly charred and brittle. Sakura felt some smooth substance on her fingers and she rubbed them together. Smelling the substance lightly, she conjectured that this was soot.

"Ah, so this must be that door."

_The setting of the infamous fire._

With curiosity overriding all other emotions, she took a pin out of her hair and twisted it straight. Feeling for the keyhole, she inserted the pin and began to fumble with the lock. Sweat began to bead along her forehead. There was no air circulation in this part of the house. The lock was tricky, very tricky. It was an old prototype, so it possessed different mechanisms, and hence, it was difficult to open.

"Damn, I'll need to get the special pin."

She was referring to the pin the corporation provided, the pin that was able to open any lock.

Suddenly, the hallway was flushed with light. The sudden effect, blinding, she shielded her eyes.

"You aren't supposed to be here right now."

Slowly, she lifted her fingers and saw that it was the man who had accompanied Syaoran at the club and on the plane.

"I'm sorry, I lost my way."

He observed her for a second, with narrowed eyes. Sakura sensed his disapproval. She looked him straight in the eye. Wariness and suspicion filled his orb. They were replaced by the twinkling of the light.

"It happens. We all lose our way sometimes. But there's always someone there to guide us in the end."

He was looking at her without really seeing her, "And then we embark on our destined path."

"I suppose."

_What on earth is he talking about?_

He adjusted his gaze on her, "We haven't officially been introduced each other, I'm Mark, Syaoran Li's advisor." He held out a hand.

Sakura shook the hand, "I'm Sakura, the new governess."

"I think everybody knows about you," he winked at her and continued, "You've become quite the celebrity."

_Did he just…wink at her?_

She nervously laughed and scratched her forehead, "Well, it's, uh, nice to meet you."

Mark gestured towards the other end of the hallway, "I think you're late for the midnight meeting."

Sakura gulped, "Can you please help me get there?"

Mark began to chuckle, "That's what I've been sent for. I've been looking for you everywhere, Miss Kinomoto."

Sakura blushed. _This household, I swear_.

They both began to walk down the hallway.

"Who sent you?"

"Wei. He was worried about you."

Sakura released a small laugh, "He's such a sweetheart. I like him."

Mark stopped in his tracks and playfully nudged her, "And what about me?"

Sakura looked back with a quizzical brow, "What about you?"

Mark took her hand and held it tightly, "What do you think about me?"

Sakura looked at her hand, interlocked within his, "I think it's too early to tell. We have just met after all." As if the atmosphere wasn't already awkward.

Mark slowly released her hand, taking careful measures to do it slow enough to feel her skin, "Fair enough."

Sakura raised an eyebrow as he walked ahead. What was with this guy? Pulling a move on her already! She shook her head.

They finally reached the presumable midnight meeting place. He opened the door and whispered to her, "I personally loved your truffle incident."

With a face newly lit with a pale pink tint, she entered the room. The door ominously closed behind her.

"You're late."

Oh, how she missed his sarcastic voice. She crossed her arms and made her way towards the master of the saw that he was seated in a large and plushy leather chair. With his legs propped on the leg rest, and his arms lazily draped around the neck of the chair, Syaoran Li was humming to himself near the fireplace.

"Why did you shut the door? Do you mean to kill me in private?" Sakura took the seat adjacent to his, only separated by a round wooden table.

He idly opened one eye, "You sure have a lot of guts to speak to me that way."

"I'm not afraid of you."

He opened both eyes now. Gazing at the ceiling he asked, "Why not? You work under me. You should be terrified."

His voice was monotonous and not dripping with his usual sarcasm and it left Sakura titillated.

How could this man hold such polar personalities? One minute he's a sarcastic maniac and the next, he's Mr. Sensitive with issues.

"Because we're all human." She echoed Rita's advice, which seemed so appropriate now.

The crackling of the fireplace filled the enormous room with warmth and the hearts of the inhabitants with trepidation.

He didn't respond. Instead he snuck a glance, watching the embers of the fireplace dance within her lively green eyes. He watched her cheeks turn a rosy red from the heat of the fireplace. He had a sudden desire to cup those cheeks in his hands, cradle the edges of her jaw in his long fingers, and brush her soft pink lips with his thumb…

"Oh shit." He turned his face and tightly gripped the edges of his chair.

It was a whisper, but Sakura heard him.

"Did you say something?"

She saw him, red-faced and breathless, "Hey, are you okay?"

She reached for his hand, "Do you want me to get something for you?"

He flinched and drew his hand away, "Please, just stay away from me."

Sakura slowly joined her hands on her lap, "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have touched you like that."

_Damn Sakura. Why did you have to make it awkward?_

Syaoran bit his lip and silently reprimanded himself.

_Great, now you've made her feel bad. Good job Li. Good job._

They both looked like young children caught in a naughty act. They refused to make eye contact.

He scooted to the other end of the seat, far away from her. This gesture did not escape Sakura's eye. Frowning she asked, "So why did you call me here?"

"My mother left too early. She didn't tell you the terms of this job."

"And what are those terms?"

Syaoran reached for the papers on the table and slid them across to her.

"You have to read and sign this document to ensure your position."

Sakura raised an eyebrow when she saw the hefty document with tiny lettering, "I get the feeling you haven't approved of me yet."

Syaoran poured himself a glass of brandy, "I haven't."

He poured her a glass of milk and slid it towards her. Sakura cupped the glass and let out a small gasp, "It's warm."

Syaoran took a small sip, "You seem surprised."

A small smile graced her face, "I am. I didn't expect you to be so considerate."

He smirked, "Well, I _am_ great with kids."

"Oh very funny." Sakura spun the glass around on the table.

"You aren't going to drink it?"

"I'm not sure if I should. Who knows? You might have poisoned this."

Syaoran placed a hand on his heart, "Oh, you wound me. "

Sakura made a show of smelling the milk and wrinkling her nose, "Oh, it's definitely poisoned."

She took a gulp of the milk and held it in her hand, "Thank you anyways. I usually drink milk before I go to sleep. And in this new place, it's a great help."

He took gulped down the glass, "You're welcome for the poisoned milk."

Sakura giggled, "I'm serious."

Syaoran smiled, "How can I take you seriously when you're laughing?"

Sakura shrugged her shoulders and took another swallow of milk. This time, a small remnant was left on her upper lip.

"Oh look, you got a milk moustache."

Syaoran pointed towards Sakura's face and began to chuckle, "You have no idea how ridiculous you look right now."

He began to thump his knee, "Oh, I should take a picture of this."

Sakura, at first, pouted and slammed the glass on the table. But after seeing the man, who had reacted so violently at dinner over an hour ago, so happy, with tears in his eyes, she began to laugh along.

"A milk moustache is sexy Mr. Li." She sat upright and flipped her hair.

He began to laugh even more hysterically. Syaoran wiped happy tears away from his eyes and rested his head on the seat. With a serious gaze, he stated, "I haven't laughed that much in a while."

Sakura tried to look at the moustache with her eyes down, "I just have to take this off now."

She reached for a napkin, but he stopped her. "No, let me do it."

He took a napkin and tentatively reached to wipe her face. Tenderly, with a fierce gaze that never left her face, he wiped the soft napkin along her moustache. Carefully he traces the edges of her lips with the cloth, taking extra precautions to leave nothing behind. He was so engrossed in the act, that he didn't notice Sakura's stunned expression.

She didn't resist. She was too transfixed to do so. At first she had expected him to just throw the napkin at her face, but then, he did the unexpected: he began to wipe it himself! Her shock knew no bounds.

_Doesn't he hate me? Then why is he doing this?_

Her eyes analyzed his face, the way it was so concentrated upon her. The intensity of his tender touches, the shortness of his breath, the way his eyes were so warm. She had never seen him like this before and it affected her greatly. Her heart began to thump wildly against her chest and a fire began to torch her abdomen.

_Surely he hears it beating? It's so loud._

When he was done, he let the napkin linger upon her face. Their eyes met and stayed. The lively green met the burning amber. Releasing the napkin, he began to trail his fingers along her neck, resting just at the pulse point. His eyes widened when he felt the acceleration of her pulse. His heart also began to beat wildly, almost matching hers. Sakura reached for his hand and held onto it. Their fingers interlocked and they just reveled in the moment. The fireplace crackled emitted bright sparks and added to the intensity of the moment. The silk red drapes began to wildly flutter with the midnight breeze and the room ran abound with movement.

The grandfather clock struck 12. Ding…ding…ding.

They both released their hold. Sakura, realizing the situation and the way her hand was covering his, pushed his hand away and covered her face.

Dumbfounded and silently cursing himself, Syaoran tightly clutched his hand until his fingernails dug into the skin of his palm.

_Why the hell are you going this Syaoran? Your wife just died and here you're…_

With his teeth clenched, he gritted, "Just sign the document."

Sakura slowly unveiled her face and glared at him. So he was just going to act like nothing had happened between them? This was like the fourth time they had gotten dangerously close and he was acting like it was her fault. Why was he so angry with her? This thing, whatever it was, was mutual. He initiated it.

_But why did you go along Sakura?_

Sakura's heart hurt and she didn't know why.

She took hold of the papers and brought them on her lap, "Fine." She attempted to blink the fast-forming tears away.

She began to scan the papers.

"You'll have Sundays off, you can only call after work, you are to eat after feeding the twins, and you are not to…"

The list went on and on and he dictated each term aptly. He had obviously said this a many times before. With each statement, Sakura's anger increased ten-folds.

"And you are not to have any relation with the household staff."

Her eyes flashed in his direction, "Oh, don't worry about that. I won't."

Taking the heavy pen, she signed her name. A roll of thunder was heard in the distance.

A look of regret passed across his face, "Listen, about before…"

Sakura got up and walked towards the fireplace, " I just have one question."

Syaoran stopped talking and remained silent. She took this as a sign to continue, "Why am I still here? I know you don't approve of me, then why? "

Another crack of thunder and a flash of lightening initiated the bout of heavy rainfall. The curtains began to thrash about the room.

"Because they like you."

She turned around, "Who does?"

"I went to their room afterwards. They told me they like you. You're the first one who made them laugh. And I don't want to make them unhappy anymore."

He poured himself another glass of brandy, "No matter what you may think of me, I do value my children and their opinions. I just want them to be safe, goddamit!"

In a fit of rage, he threw the glass into the fire. Fueled by alcohol, the fire burnt a bright crimson.

"What do you want to keep them safe from?"

Wordlessly, he staggered towards her. "They're trying to kill them. I don't know who they are or what they want, but they've tried to kill them so many times. Poisoned letters, messages written in the nursery, and three kidnapping attempts. I took them out of school and I don't know what else to do."

He was frantic and clutching his hair, "I've even posted bodyguards. I don't want anything to happen to them."

Sakura, overwhelmed by his honest declaration, and rush of emotions, firmly stepped forward, "Nothing will happen to them. I assure you. I _will_ protect them."

He glanced upwards with watery and bloodshot eyes, "Even if it means forsaking your safety?"

Sakura nodded her head, "Absolutely."

He took another step and staggered onto the floor. Sakura caught hold of him and cradled him in her arms. She rubbed his matted hair out of his eyes and felt his forehead.

"Oh my goodness, he's running a fever."

She began to panic, "Help! Can somebody come in here! It's an emergency.

A few seconds later, Mark barged into the room. "What happened?"

"I think he has a fever. And he's drunk."

Mark called for Wei and ran his hand though his hair, "How could this have happened?"

"He barely ate dinner and I think he was already running sick. The alcohol didn't help matters."

He helped her lift Syaoran onto the daybed on the other side of the room, "He drank a couple of glasses before you came in. It was that goddamn letter."

Sakura's brows furrowed with concern.

Wei came running in with a bowl of wet towels and medicine. Mark took the medicine and poured some onto a spoon.

"Lift his head up."

Sakura followed his directions and Mark fed him the medicine. Syaoran groaned and mumbled incomprehensible phrases.

"That should help him for now, but I think we still have to call the doctor."

Mark turned to Sakura, "Can you keep him company for the time being? It's late and most of the staff is asleep. Wei and I will go to fetch the doctor."

Sakura shook her head in agreement and slowly placed a pillow under Syaoran's head. When they left, she took a moist towel and placed it on his forehead. Pressing it down, she let her hand linger on his forehead. She watched his eyes rapidly dart underneath his eyelids and his breathing grow ragged.

She whispered to him, "What has got you so riled up Mr. Li?"

As expected, he remained motionless. He was probably so drugged up, he wouldn't understand anything she was saying.

"Hey Mr. Driver, you should drink a little less next time. Being a drunkard doesn't really suit you."

He frowned in his sleep. Maybe he sensed her insulting him.

A cool breeze drifted throughout the room and made the fire falter. She went to close the window and as she bolted it shut, she noticed a light on the other side of the mansion. It was coming from the only lit window in the mansion. Although it was dark, she noticed the corners of that section of the mansion were a little darker. She blinked and the next moment it was gone. She waited a few more seconds before shutting the curtains.

"That's odd. I swear I saw a light."

She walked towards the daybed and saw that a few papers fell due to the wind. She rushed to pick them up. Lifting one up, she saw it was the letter Yelan had delivered to her son. She looked at the shut door and at Syaoran, who was drugged out. There would be no witnesses here. She began to read the letter.

Syaoran,

Prepare for the funeral immediately. I will be coming within a week with her body.

Yelan Li

It was so brief and so cold. There was no sense of relationship within the letter. It was like an informal business letter more than a letter between a mother and a son. And ouch. Her body. That made it sound even worse. She looked up to see Syaoran moaning in his sleep, "_Tara."_

She picked up the next paper and saw it was a picture. It was of a woman with pale skin and red lipstick in a navy blue dress with white polka dots. She was wearing a straw hat and she was clutching the ends of it with both hands. She was smiling at the camera and Sakura could tell it was a candid shot. She wasn't posing for it, but it was captured at the right moment. She looked absolutely gorgeous. Sophia looked so much like her mother. After seeing her autopsy photos in the file, Sakura couldn't believe that mutilated figure was once this beautiful woman.

With the picture in her hand, she walked to over to Syaoran and placed the photo near his head. She took off the old wet cloth and placed a cool new one.

"They leave us so fast."

Syaoran continued to moan, "Tara."

Sakura stared off into the distance, "We don't even realize we're going to spend such little time with them. Or else we would cherish it more. I wished I spent more time with Derek too."

Thunder rumbled overhead and the clock struck 2.

"It…my…fault". Syaoran began to thrash wildly in his sleep. One of his hands hit her face. The photo fell on to the floor. Sakura took his hands and restrained him by placing them at his sides. She was hovering above him right now. His brow was now wrinkled with sweat. Sakura noticed his cheeks were stained with tears. She felt his tension weaken in her hold and she released his hands. She took a seat near his bedside and watched him sleep.

"I can't make you out, you know. Usually I can, but you're really different."

Her voice echoed in the hollow room.

"I don't know what's happening around here, but I assure you I will avenge their deaths. Your wife's death wasn't an accident and neither was Derek's. It was premeditated murder. I swear, when I find that bastard, I'm going to kill him."

Her stomach rumbled and pained from the thought of Derek. The clock struck 3. She wet another washcloth and placed it on his forehead. The fever was only getting worse.

_Why aren't they here with the doctor yet? It's been two hours already._

She massaged the cloth on his forehead. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand and she froze. She stood still for a moment. Her heart began to beat faster. She tried to nudge her hand out of his grip, but it was solid. She didn't want to wake him up. He turned on his side again and pulled her arm along. Great, now she was practically on the bed. Her face was close to his back and she could see his back sweat. It was not a great position to be in, but it still made her extremely nervous.

_This doesn't count as sleeping with him…right?I mean I'm on the bed, but not really on on it. _

He began to snore.

_Oh great._

Sakura rolled her eyes and tried to pull her arm again, but no, it was still firmly lodged between his armpits.

_If they find me like this. Oh shit. That will be so bad. _

Sakura let out a cry of frustration. Then her eyes suddenly widened.

_What if they think I tried to take advantage of him? I have to get out of here._

She tugged again and thought she was successful when he moved, but he shifted to the other side and put her other arm across her chest. He virtually trapped her now. Sakura was inwardly screaming. He was practically hugging her here.

_Fudge, what do I do now?_

Out of all the scenarios she had pictured, she hadn't imagined this one at all. She was in bed with Syaoran Li. If Tomoyo learned of this, she would literally die from happiness and squealing. And Touya? Oh he would murder her for "sleeping" with the client. And then murder the client. She turned to her side to get more comfortable and her face was right next to his. Face to face on the bed, Sakura felt their heats intertwine. She observed the edges of his face, the way the fine lines were etched onto his face. Her eyes landed on his lips and she imagined herself kissing him. She felt so comfortable near him right now. She noticed his fever begin to die down a little. And she didn't want to disturb him out of the healing process right now. Daydreams began to flutter throughout her thoughts, setting her imagination on fire with the masked man finally taking off his mask. The eyes she had fantasized in all those dreams finally possessed a face. It was _his _face.

She woke up in cold sweat and saw Wei glancing down at her.

A/N: So they finally slept together! Ha. In the most figurative sense of the term, yes, but technically they were in the same bed. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will deal with the aftermath of this incident and will have so much awkwardness. Honestly who wouldn't be? Don't forget to leave a review! I'd love to know what you though of it.

P.S. I'm co-writing a story called The Art of Limerence with a friend and it's romance. So if you enjoy my writing her, don't hesitate to check it out. I've provided the link below.

s/3207523/1/The-Art-of-Limerence

Xoxo Serendipitousloveaffair


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